A year ago I was stuck even though I thought I'd tried everything to get unstuck. I was starting to have very scary thoughts like, "Maybe I really can't do this." "Maybe this will be the first time you tried your best on something you really wanted and you couldn't do it."
It terrified me because I had just turned 65. I was counting on building my business up to the point where I could work part time and still support us, since Social Security wasn't going to be enough.
I loved being a therapist and a coach. I loved my clients and my colleagues. I felt like I was doing something useful and meaningful. But I just wasn't getting the number of clients I needed. Oh, I got clients, and most of them stayed long enough to get a good benefit.
But they came in at a trickle, usually through referrals and word of mouth, a few from a directory I belonged to. Not enough. Just not enough. I knew I couldn't go back to work at a job because my body couldn't handle it. The last few years I'd sat at a desk were excruciating to my severely arthritic joints.
But in 2014 when my wife became disabled because of a stroke, I knew I had to make a business work because she would never work again, and I knew I couldn't work full time also because she needed care, and that fell to me, too.
So I cashed in my IRA and started drawing a small retirement I'd earned, and signed up for coach training. With coaching training under my belt in addition to my therapist's license, I was thinking I'd pull this business stuff off like I'd done everything else--with concentration and tenacity.
But I quickly learned that adding coaching to my repertoire changed nothing. I knew nothing about business. So I started taking workshops, classes, masterminds. I watched every free webinar I could get my hands on. I signed up for a very expensive year long coaching program when it appeared I wasn't doing so well.
I learned a lot in all those classes and coachings. But I wasn't moving forward. I wasn't getting new clients like I needed to. I started over with different programs, different approaches, different niches and no niches. I paid out more than I took in, and soon all the money was almost gone.
Fast forward to last spring, when I started having those terrifying "maybe I really can't do this" thoughts. I was still trying this and that and felt like I was tumbling in heavy surf.
I was still catching free webinars whenever it sounded like I might actually learn something without buying anything. I didn't have money to buy any more programs that weren't helping. But one of the freebies I took was for Marisa's Start with You program. To this day I can't tell you why I signed up for it. It just felt good.
But something different happened. I actually finished all the modules and assignments. I'd never done that before. I'd usually do a program until I got bored or until I figured out that it wasn't going to help me with what I was struggling with. But Marisa's program got through to me. I even enjoyed it.
However, I didn't sign up for EPM then. I signed up for a speaker's course because I felt encouraged by Marisa's Start With You and I knew I'd need to become a better speaker to get more clients. I finished that program too, but much to my grief, I was still stuck.
In my despair I opened an email from Live Your Message. I'd been watching Marisa's expresso minutes and reading her blog and I liked her message and her approach. So when the email about EPM came and when I heard about the $2000 guarantee, I signed up.
Even though I'd told myself I wasn't going to spend more money on coaching programs until I started earning more (sounds crazy backwards, doesn't it?) but I spent it. I threw myself into it even though I had to put it on my credit card. I worked hard on it but discovered fairly soon that I didn't have the physical stamina to work at the pace needed and still see clients.
I would have to give up all thought of the guarantee and just try to make mission accomplished in my own time. That made me cry for a minute because I hadn't told my wife I'd spent the $2000 on yet another program. I was counting on either making the money right away or cashing in the guarantee if I didn't.
When I told her about it, I got a flash of my wife the way she was BS (before strokes). She hugged me and told me she had faith in me and trusted my judgment about what needed to be done. She said what she'd always said, that I was the best therapist and coach in the world and that people were going to know that sooner or later. (I don't think I"m the best in the world quite yet, but she does and that felt great!). So I stopped crying and dove back in.
I have learned so much during EPM, but like I said before, the biggest thing I learned was I came to understand how I was standing in my own way. The truth was, I was afraid--not fearful but reticent and nervous and resistent--to approach people about my business, to ask for referrals, to talk to potential clients. The more I worked on what this was, the deeper it went.
Until one day I had a download from my subconscious, or my memory or something. I suddenly had a vivid recollection of my mother saying "those people (shopkeepers, salesmen, etc) are just after your money. They don't care a jot about plain folks--all they care about is money, money and more money. They are greedy and evil.
They'd let a person starve in the snow before they'd part with a plug nickel." And I remembered more about how my poor, undereducated mother raised four kids on an allotment from the Army while my dad was overseas. We were very, very poor. And thanks to my mom, bless her heart, I knew it was because all those greedy people took all our money for things we needed like food and shoes without holes.
Well, it took a few days for everything to finally settle into understanding, but there it was. My big roadblock. Why I felt so bad and icky and vulnerable when I tried to talk about my business or to promote what I was doing. I don't know why what Marisa said created the conditions for me to be able to make the connection and break the stalemate I'd had with myself all these years.
But I know it is broken. I have to go at my own pace because I have to take care of myself physically and I still have to take care of my wife a bit since there are things she can't do. But for the first time since I started this endeavor almost five years ago, I feel hopeful. And not just pie in the sky fantasy "oh gee I hope this works" hopeful, but hopeful because I have a reason to be. I have knowledge, about what to do and about myself and my ability to do it. And knowledge is power.
And since I work with people and their love, I've learned, as well, that where the power of Love is concerned, all things are possible. Thanks Marisa, and all the coaches (especially Jen) and all my fellow EPMers who shared this experience with me...thanks for the Love.
What is your biggest takeaway from EPM?
There were so many, like not being focused enough, not being committed to a single niche, learning all the ways in which a potential customer can be scared away by me saying things I thought were helpful, and so on and on. But if I had to choose one as the biggest, I would have to say it was coming to understand all the ways in which I was standing in my own way while thinking it was all things outside myself that were holding me back.
The true gift of that understanding is that I can change all that stuff--every bit of it! Do you know what a relief that is? And it's kind of exciting, too, when I think about all the things I'm learning to do differently.
How did EPM help you become successful?
I have almost completely stopped being afraid of things that have held me back for years--like talking about my business, asking people for referrals, approaching new people, feeling absolutely great about my fees because I've found a deeper confidence about what I do for clients. Again, just more ways in which I've stopped standing in my own way.
How has EPM and your success impacted your life?
At present it has impacted my inner life more than my outer life since I haven't launched officially yet.
What has been the biggest change in your business?
I have finally taken the leap I've wanted to take for a long time--narrowing my niche to those clients I really want to work with--women couples. I had hemmed and hawed about it for years, too afraid that I wouldn't be able to make enough money with that narrow of a niche. But now I think it will be fine. I feel like I can do what I have to do to make it happen. And if it turns out to not be a viable niche, I figure I'll find out what would be better along the way.
What are you most excited about moving forward with your Experience Product?
I'm most excited about the possibility of my business actually succeeding. And about how much fun it will be to deliver this program that will really help any clients who take it seriously. And here's a kicker, too. I've been so afraid and stuck about marketing and everything associated with it,
I never thought of the possibility that I might enjoy marketing until my coach said "What if you discovered marketing was fun for you? What would that be like?" And suddenly, that's what I wanted. Not just to be able to do it and get through it, but to actually look forward to promoting my business and making new friends and having fun doing all the stuff I used to fear. How crazy and wonderful is that to think about?
This is the "IT" we have all been waiting for to have the "Everything" you have been seeking.
Your Graduation Story
This has been the most engaging training course I have ever encountered and I have enrolled for tons of courses in the past and very rarely completed them. Marisa has mastered the art of making learning so much more enjoyable than the old school ways of learning I experienced growing up. It's amazing how much you can achieve when you put your mind and focus into it. The live calls and side door coaching has enhanced the experience. A massive thank you to coach Samara for her endless amount of encouragement, enthusiasm and energy. Although I haven't reached Mission Accomplished I am well on they way to achieving it over the next couple months. For many years I have wanted to create an on-line product and this training gives you all the systems and tools to bring it all together. I would definitely recommend this training subject to you showing up and put in as much time and energy into learning as much as Marisa's team does delivering the content. Not forgetting of course Friday nights with Don, these tech calls have been priceless. Also thanks to Jordan for doing a great job at facilitating the calls. Not forgetting Murray and Heroic for a great website platform.
What is your biggest takeaway from EPM?
Just do it - let go of your perfectionist
How did EPM help you become successful?
The way in which the content is delivered
How has EPM and your success impacted your life?
It has allowed me to excelerate my business ideas forward in such a short term frame
What has been the biggest change in your business?
Confidence to just get on with things even when the going gets tough
What are you most excited about moving forward with your Experience Product?
Marketing my course.
I wanted to create my own online coaching course but I kept getting hung up on how to put it all together and get it out into the world. I have been dreaming of having a business that I absolutely love where I can make a difference in the world and have more time and freedom with my family.
I can't remember how I found Marisa and this course but I'm so glad I did. It came to me at the perfect time! I am so thankful that I joined the Experience Product Masterclass as it gave me the tools I need to create an amazing online course that will impact the lives of others and everything was laid out in steps that were easy to follow and accomplish.
I now feel confident and excited to share my program to the world! I haven't launched my product yet but I plan to by the end of this month. I am confident that I will reach my mission accomplished goal and much more!! Thanks Marisa and team for your fabulous guidance and support!
What is your biggest takeaway from EPM?
I love all of the step by steps tools that I now have to easily create this course and many more!
How did EPM help you become successful?
I don't have success yet as I haven't yet launched my product but I now have the confidence and belief that I will have amazing success and I have a valuable product!
How has EPM and your success impacted your life?
It's helped me to grow as an entrepreneur and given me so many valuable tools. I'm excited to now be able to offer an amazing experience to my clients that will have them coming back for more!
What has been the biggest change in your business?
Before I knew I wanted to create an online course that was impactful and engaging but I didn't know how. Now I have all of the tools I need to create this course as well as many more. I feel so confident now and am sure I will hit my goal as soon as I'm ready to Launch!
What are you most excited about moving forward with your Experience Product?
I'm so excited to launch my first product! Creating an online course has been a dream of mine for years and now it is here!! I can't wait to get my experience product out into the world!
Life and Relationship Coach at Love Life - Live Life
Just finished working through this video (#2). Wow, WOW, W-O-W!! I felt like Atlas (carrying the world on my shoulders) but now that the burden and myth of having to be the Guru have been tossed (thanks again Marisa, because I really don't think that I'll ever feel like a Guru)
I feel like I can go and awaken the world! I have been paralyzed by the need to have it all perfect before I step out. Everything else out there seems so…well…perfect… So here: “I do not need to know it all and I might not have it perfect, but I can give you an unforgettable experience that will blow you away and bless your socks off!”
Your Graduation Story
EPM led me to dive really deep into what I wanted my business to be. I had initially signed up with the idea to create a 5-week yoga program but had no sense of how I could differentiate myself. EPM allowed me to determine a clear and clean branding for my yoga offering. Most importantly, EPM helped me clarify my altruistic why: transformation through self-knowledge. This was a lightbulb moment (that I had been waiting for years!). With that new realization in mind, it also made me admit that teaching yoga was not 100% in line with my freshly define "Why". I had to re-think my choice and business direction, especially since another gift I received from EPM was the realization that creating an Experience Product would required all my time and energy, time and energy I was not willing to put in the creation of a yoga program. Instead, I decided to keep my yoga offering light and strictly on YouTube, especially now that I had a clean branding and approach thanks to the work I had done with EPM. I've just spent the past few days creating videos for my channel and it's on route to be a nice side offering. So where exactly do I want to focus all my time and energy? Interestingly enough, EPM helped me here as well and in a very specific and unexpected way: in one of EPM coaching calls, a participant messaged another participant in the chat box asking if she was also doing Jyotish astrology (she was an Ayurvedic practitioner and those 2 disciplines are closely related). I saw the message, it peaked my curiosity and I looked it up. And, that was my second lightbulb moment! As a yogic numerology practitioner and someone who's also studied the enneagram, I decided to jump into Vedic astrology to complement that acquired knowledge. I've now been studying vedic astrology intensely for over a month now and I can't wait to offer 1:1 consultations soon, while keeping my YouTube channel alive. I look forward to Message to Money live to dive deeper into branding and hopefully link those 2 disciplines (vedic astrology + yoga) into a single marketing / branding message around self-knowledge as an empowerment tool. I can honestly say I wouldn't be where I am today, on this beautiful right path, if I had not done EPM. It pushed me to be honest with myself and I can confidently say I am where I am supposed to be. Thank you so much Marisa and Team EPM! This truly wouldn't have been possible without you!
What is your biggest takeaway from EPM?
Starting a business and/or launching a product is such a big commitment that you have to be 100% clear and honest with yourself and what you want to put out there
How did EPM help you become successful?
It helped me clarify my Why and I now feel unstoppable thanks to that clarity and newly found confidence
How has EPM and your success impacted your life?
Not only did it help me be clear and honest with myself, it also brought me a lot of confidence: in what I want to create but also in how to do it. I learned so much about marketing that I know I can be successful in everything that I put my heart and energy into
What has been the biggest change in your business?
Realizing I was on the wrong path, not totally wrong, but not 100% aligned. It was hard for me to admit after all the time, money and energy I had put into various trainings. Pivoting to something not entirely different but still feels like I am doing 2 separate things: yoga YT channel and yogic numerology. Can't wait for M2M Live to clarify and unite.
What are you most excited about moving forward with your Experience Product?
M2M live and branding my new offer
When I joined EPM I had no idea what I wanted to create or how I was going to serve people. I knew my idea had to be based on personal development and had to be relatable to people with substance abuse history, but I also wanted to incorporate the use of creativity for the healing process, such as visual arts creations from repurposed/recycled materials. However, marrying the two ideas into one that made sense was impossible in my head.
EPM helped me realize that as a starting entrepreneur with no digital marketing experience and no credibility points yet, I needed to break it down to the most basic, most simple and doable idea that addresses a pain-point for a lot of human beings today -- switching from surviving to thriving.
Hearing other EPMers share their own challenges and successes helped me realize this and helped me be okay with dropping the creativity component (for now) and even feel enthusiastic about the simplified version of my business idea.
Clarity continued to reach me and I realized I wanted to work with middle-aged women because in that group is where I see the most prospects for this type of solution, based on my own observations from my affiliation with AA over the past 15 years. Although I didn't reach Mission Accomplished by the deadline, I'm okay with it and I'm confident I will get there soon.
In December, adversity began to taunt me and I started to fall behind on Module 3. I was feeling the frustration and anxiety big time. Then life hit me with a bizarre curved ball, I became "literally" homeless in the first week of January and my marriage is no more. I never saw it coming and I felt like the rug had been pulled from under my feet.
The shock of the circumstances had me on the edge of giving up. Had it not been for the support and uplifting words from other students and Coach Jen, I wouldn't be writing this testimonial tonight. Although I fell behind on the course, as soon as I found a place to live I worked up the courage to face life straight on and grab it by the horns.
I finished my Milestones Doc and completed all the core track videos and tasks in modules 3, 4 and 5 within the last 10 days. I just signed up for Heroic Lifetime and I plan on creating a decent website for my business sooner rather than later.
But most importantly, I'm now writing the training content of my experience product, which will include the science behind the innate process I discovered to quickly bounce back from my grapple with adversity. This is now becoming one of the top pain-point solutions I can offer to my clients as part of my program.
I truly believe in my heart that the only reason why I'm making lemonade out of the lemons that life handed me, is because I was connected to the uplifting power of the EPM community and because I had CLARITY!!...
I'm now able to see life from angles that I never saw before. I feel more confident than ever about the type of message I wish to share with my future tribe and how to serve them better. This is hands down more rewarding and more valuable to me than making $2,000 in revenue by 5-Feb. This entire experience has been a huge success for me!
This is great information thanks for sharing I've been wanting for years to get into a online information business, but most of the how to information I read or watch doesn't connect with me so I think maybe it's not for me.
Well I listen to your video all the way through and it connected enough for me to write this to you which I've never done before. Your presentation was a breakthrough for me and has given me a new outlook and started a new thought process for me thanks. This is a blessing and I look forward to what is to come.
Your Graduation Story
It was a great experience - I felt the sincerity and authenticity of Marissa to give her best and all for us. Excellent trainings and resources, with bite-sized assignments to keep us motivated and get us to the finish line. My biggest gain from EPM was to nail down my product mission - it provided a lot of clarity. I also thoroughly enjoyed watching Marissa coach on the spot - she really has a way with words and a spike in great messaging!
What is your biggest takeaway from EPM?
You have to just keep going and stop thinking so much. Marissa's bite-sized assignments is brilliant - it keeps us going because they're easy to complete and that creates momentum to keep us motivated to the end.
How did EPM help you become successful?
It helped me to get my foundation laid and feel confident in a relatively short period of 10 weeks.
How has EPM and your success impacted your life?
I feel like I am equipped and ready to run now. It also equips me to replicate this process very easily for the future so every successive launch will get easier and faster to launch.
What has been the biggest change in your business?
No big impact as yet but at least I have 10 leads to follow up on which is a great next step.
What are you most excited about moving forward with your Experience Product?
Seeing when I can hit my 'mission accomplished' after EPM.
I was having problems knowing what niche to pick, I wasn’t sure what to do. i sort of had ideas, but they weren't clear. I joined EPM, and learnt so many things! I went through all my concerns with my coach, got advice from marisa, listened to Don and Christine and was able to get clarity and now I'm confident i will succeed! In fact i have 1 call booked for 20th feb and another to confirm and these calls are both with influential people in my niche!! So watch out!!!!
What is your biggest takeaway from EPM?
Hmmmm hard to say. The clarity I have gained. The fact that I do have something to contribute. The whole ethos of experience products - funnily enough, i do that sort of thing for friend's to make them feel good but not in business.
How did EPM help you become successful?
I really loved the structure of the program but my gosh - the calls were amazing!!! I cannot decide which i liked most, Mondays with Marisa, Wednesdays with Coach Mike or Fridays with Don and Christine, plus Murray!! This support was essential and unlike any other programme (and I've signed up to a lot!!)
How has EPM and your success impacted your life?
Hope that there are ethical people out there!! Previously been scammed several times!
What has been the biggest change in your business?
Clarity i think and tools
What are you most excited about moving forward with your Experience Product?
That i can have a sustainable business!