Nothing Grows Your Business Like Live Connection

I spent the weekend at NAMS9 in Atlanta with some of the best people on the planet. I love the crowd David Perdew and his instructors attract twice a year for this education-rich event. (NAMS stands for Novice to Advanced Marketing System.)

During the weekend I gave 15-minute consults to a couple dozen entrepreneurs — most of whom I’d call “Light Bearers” (folks who are changing the world with their passions/messages). I love doing this because I get to meet so many fascinating people and encourage them along their paths.

One day I had three women in a row who all came from technical backgrounds, but who had a message they felt compelled to share. They were each experiencing a bit of a tug to remain in the safe place, selling their skills as services to other people. But they were clearly ready to make the transition to using their life-gathered skills to get their own messages out in the world.

This resonated so much with me, because this has been my own personal journey. I kept thinking of something one of my coaches used to tell me back in 2000, “Marnie, just because you CAN make money at something, doesn’t mean you SHOULD make money at it.”

When I finally started following my passion instead of the “safe money,” got clear on my message, and delivered it with courage, my life and business transformed.

As I spoke to the various attendees, it became very clear to me that there are two types of Light Bearer entrepreneurs that come to me:

1) Those who have the technical skills but are fuzzy about their message. They have so many talents that the possibilities are overwhelming. The last day I assisted two different women who were having trouble finding the common threads in all their interests. In the span of their 15-minute consults, I helped them find the common threads in everything they do. They’d been groping for this clarity for some time, overwhelmed by all the possibilities. I love watching people’s faces light up when they get what they’re here to do! Nothing beats it!

2) Those who know what their messages are, but don’t have the technical and/or business skills to get from point A to point Z. Their overwhelm stems from all the little steps that loom before them.

I sat down with one gal the first day of the event who fell into this second category, and we got clarity on what she enjoys doing and what she doesn’t. We then set some clear intentions about what she needed help with — like a WordPress theme and a joint venture partner to help her leverage her message. By the end of the event, she’d gotten the WordPress assistance she needed from a couple of the NAMS instructors. She also had a great lead on a top-tier joint venture partner. It’s thrilling to watch the power of clarity and intention at work!

There are so many things I love about NAMS, but the last I’ll leave with you is the opportunity to hang around my colleagues who have been so pivotal in supporting and encouraging me in my business and my life. We have this little collaborative community that brainstorms with, supports and cross-promotes each other.

My friend Ellen Britt is simply the master at creative promotion and brainstorming. I call her the App Queen because the entire time she used iphone/ipod apps to document and promote the event and her colleagues. Below is a sampling of her handiwork. You can find more on her blog here.

Be sure to join us for NAMS10 in Atlanta in August. I’d love to meet you in person. There’s nothing that compares to connecting live! Register now before the price goes up!