What is a Lifestyle CEO™? We Are Different From Traditional Entrepreneurs A Lifestyle CEO™ is a person who owns a business in order to enjoy the entrepreneurial benefits of freedom, flexibility, and fun, usually through a recurring revenue business model. I coined the term Lifestyle CEO on February 25, 2004. I knew immediately, that it perfectly described the kind of integration of life and business that suited me best. Today, as in 2004, most of the businesses featured by ... Read the Post
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6 Steps to Hiring a Virtual Assistant
6 Steps to Hiring a Virtual Assistant Start With a Success Recipe I hired my first virtual assistant at the Indie Business Network, over a decade ago. I shared a bit about the experience at Indie Business Blog. Today, I work with a very small team of people who help me manage the day-to-day tasks at IBN. Since I have worked with virtual assistants for so long, and since the bulk of my business is conducted virtually, I am frequently asked how to hire a virtual assistant. Based on my ... Read the Post
Rule No. 1: Don’t Trade Your Integrity
Rule No. 1: Don't Trade Your Integrity Earn Everything The first and most important rule of Lifestyle CEOs is this: do not trade your integrity. For anything. This does not mean you don't make mistakes. It does not mean you don't do things incorrectly at times. But since the brand building actions you take in your business earn you the trust of the people you serve, you should never exchange your integrity for the shiny objects of unearned fame or financial gain. For the last two ... Read the Post
A Membership Site is Not A Business
A Membership Site is Not a Business Do You Know the Difference? In recent years, I have noticed an increasing tendency for people to confuse membership sites with businesses. They are not one and the same. The confusion seems to happen when people think that because a membership site may generate income, it must also be a business. Not true. A Membership Site is Not a Business A membership site is not a business. It's a solution to a business problem. A website is just a ... Read the Post
The Perfect Lifestyle Business
The Perfect Lifestyle Business Follow These Steps to Create Yours I followed 10 specific steps to create the Indie Business Network, the perfect lifestyle business for me. As I look back, I didn't articulate each step clearly as I went along. Instead, I built the plane while I was flying it. In hindsight, however, I can see a clear road map, and I'm going to share it with you here. Before I get to that, I want you to know that there is a bit of irony in my use of the word "perfect." ... Read the Post
The Community Economy
Recently, I delivered the opening keynote address to the 2019 United States Lavender Conference in Charleston, South Carolina. My topic was The Community Economy, and it was all about how to build community around your brand. Here is the graphic I used to illustrate my three-pronged approach to building community around your brand. The Community Economy I was thrilled to share the secrets of how I have built a solid community over the past 20 years around my brand, the Indie Business ... Read the Post
2019 Lavender Conference Recap
Last weekend, I delivered the opening keynote address to the 370 attendees of the 2019 United States Lavender Conference in Charleston, South Carolina. My keynote topic was The Community Economy, which I chose because of its importance to the success of your business. If there is no strong and engaged Community Economy around your brand, it's not going to last very long. Here I am doing my thing. Not only did I get the chance to empower hundreds of small business owners to be more ... Read the Post
US Lavender Conference
I'm coming to Charleston. Squee! In a few short days, I will deliver the opening keynote address at the United States Lavender Conference in that beautiful and historic city. I recently read that there are more than 300 independently owned lavender farms in the United States today. How great that we no longer have to travel internationally to enjoy the many benefits of this beautiful herb. If your business includes working in any way with lavender (growing it, distilling it, cooking with it, ... Read the Post
FUN: Laughter Is Medicine
Laughter is the best medicine, don't you think? My daughter and I got a good dose of it on Christmas day. With unseasonably warm weather in Washington, DC, we went outside and had some great laughs as she took pictures of me with the camera Santa bought for her. Here's one of them. I Laugh. A lot. I'm not a model, but I love pretending to be one, and this cracks my daughter up.When I strike a new pose like I mean it, I hear her snickering behind the lens, and she comments on how cute she ... Read the Post
