Backstage Business Boss with Donna K Clark

Backstage Business Boss with Donna K Clark I help creative online entrepreneurs stay in their zone of genius to make a bigger impact - by takin

06/20/2024

If you've been following along for the last month or so, a LOT has happened in my world.

Here's the quick recap:
šŸ’„ My husband and I sold our house in Texas and moved across the county to South Carolina.
šŸ’„ I shut down my studio and also my successful after school theatre arts program.
šŸ’„ I hired a "Pivot" coach
šŸ’„ I'm creating my new offer(s) and intentionally designing the next chapter in my career.

Whew!
It's been A LOT.

But rather than frantically move into something new without skipping a beat, I've taken some time to really listen to my own desires, and not rush into something that I won't absolutely love to do.

But what I've always known - and still holds true - is that I adore working with creative entrepreneurs. I AM one, so I understand them.

So, I've been conducting some research - and interviewing some amazing creative business owners and I've discovered (and realized) some commonalities.

So what I'd like to share with you - today and over the next 4 days - are the top five things - the top 5 FEELINGS that are a common thread with most everyone that I interviewed:

#5: Overwhelm.

And while this can be an overused term, this was, hands down, the most common word used to describe how they are feeling in their business.

One amazing creative told me that when she realized that she was doing the jobs of 6 additional people, it made her "sick to her stomach."

Can YOU relate?

We all start our businesses with a big dream - but what happens, is that we are having to do the marketing, be customer service, post on social media, clean the bathrooms (for brick and mortar), be the accountant, and the list goes on and on.

And it DOES get overwhelming so you are NOT ALONE.

So how do we overcome the overwhelm?

This is a piece of the puzzle that is what I'll be helping creative entrepreneurs with - on a quarterly basis. My Creative CEO VIP Experience is a VIP day (plus monthly support and accountability), where I become your strategic partner, to focus, find clarity, create a 90 roadmap and plan - and then help you stay on track to reach your goals (that we define and work on together).

I'm rolling out my "Beta" version this month - and looking for TWO creative entrepreneurs to work with for Q3. (Just in time to get ramped up and ready for the Fall!) For a reduced price, the two beta creative entrepreneurs will get to road test this process, provide feedback, and help me refine this so it will be the best it can be when I roll it out later this year.

I'm looking for two - so if this resonates with you at all - shoot me a message and let's talk about it.

July is just around the corner and I want to help TWO creative entrepreneurs get traction, and get out from under the OVERWHELM in this next quarter of 2024.

Is that you?
Send me a message via messenger and let's chat.

People can feel so connected in the online space - but what Iā€™ve realized is that many times we only share the highlight...
06/13/2024

People can feel so connected in the online space - but what Iā€™ve realized is that many times we only share the highlight reel of whatā€™s going on in our lives. So I thought that I would share:

10 FUN FACTS about me (that you may not know!)

1. One of my jobs in high school was delivering singing telegrams

2. Iā€™m obsessed with all things organized and live by the mantra ā€œa place for everything and everything in itā€™s placeā€

3. Iā€™ve completed 9 full marathons, numerous sprint and olympic distance triathlons and 3 70.3 Half Ironman Triathlons. The training and completion of these events revealed how dedicated I can be to completing what I started.

4. Iā€™ve never been to Europe.

5. I am an award-winning broadcast and corporate video producer. This is where I fine tuned my skills to manage projects, timelines, and egos.

6. I love office supplies. Pens, markers, pencils, post it notes in every colorā€¦all of it. And I journal every morning.

7. Iā€™ve reinvented myself over 5 times throughout my career - 2 of those pivots happening after the age of 50ā€¦.so itā€™s never too late to do or learn something new.

8. I learned to slalom water ski when I was 8 and my dad taught all my friends at the lake every summer.

9. Founded a successful non-profit youth arts academy for kids. Didnā€™t have any idea how to do this, just rolled up my sleeves and figured it out.

10. Love to throw parties and all of the ā€œpre-planningā€ that goes into it

So Whatā€™s ONE THING that most people donā€™t know about you? Post in the comments! ā¬‡ļøā¬‡ļøā¬‡ļøCome on, play along!

I CANā€™T BELIEVE THIS WAS ME JUST OVER 6 months ago...It was 2023 and things were going pretty good.šŸ’ About to celebrat...
06/11/2024

I CANā€™T BELIEVE THIS WAS ME JUST OVER 6 months ago...

It was 2023 and things were going pretty good.

šŸ’ About to celebrate 4 years of marital bliss šŸ™‚
šŸ” Bought a new home the year before and had a BLAST renovating it
šŸŽ­ Had a thriving non-profit, after school drama club program for kids since 2008
šŸŽ­Was opening a new studio location for more advanced theatre arts programs for kids.

But later into the year about the time this picture was taken, everything started to change.
ā£
The studio was struggling, the after school program ebbed and flowed due to unreliable employees, and little by little, the joy was sucked out of me.

A year earlier, in early 2022, I had lost my parents within two weeks of each other and since that time, Iā€™ve been reflecting on my OWN mortality and asking myself a lot of questions.

šŸ¤· ā€œIs this what I should continue to do (the theatre arts programs)?ā€
šŸ¤· ā€œWhat do I want my legacy to be?
šŸ¤· ā€œWhy do I still live in Texas?ā€
šŸ¤· ā€œWhat else do I really want to accomplish?ā€ā£
ā£
These are the questions I would repeatedly ask myself every single day and they were the questions that were keeping me up at night.
ā£
šŸ’”Should we move to another state and experience some place new? (after all, two of my three children donā€™t live near me anymore)
šŸ’”Should I shut down my theatre arts business? And close that chapter to my career?
šŸ’”Should I just stay where I am, comfortable, but unfulfilled?

There is never a shortage of ideas. And the more I asked myself the questions and allowed myself to ā€œsitā€ with things, the more clarity I got.

And hereā€™s what you likely donā€™t know about meā€¦.

In my former career, I was a super successful broadcast and corporate television producer. And apparently, the skills translate into the online space very well.

A wise person once said to me ā€œdo more of what works, less of what doesnā€™t.ā€

Over the past few years, I worked with online entrepreneurs - as an online producer - supporting them with all the backend details of their businesses.

And while I am a person who ā€œcan do a lot of thingsā€ - what I realized is that I shouldnā€™t.
Doing all the backend set up for online business owners, creating funnels, writing and scheduling emails, creating ads, writing sales copy, and even some customer service - is NOT what I truly enjoy.

But what I DO love - is:

āœļø The planning
āœļø The strategizing
āœļø The creation of a calendar and roadmap
āœļø And helping creative entrepreneurs stick to their plan and reach their goals thru accountability

At first, I shrugged this off as ā€œIā€™m not special...anyone can do what I do.ā€

But the truths that Iā€ve learned over the past year are these:

āœ… Even when things come easy for me, I canā€™t assume that they come easy for others.

āœ… Yes, anyone CAN learn how to do what I do...but the FACT is, they donā€™t want to.

āœ… My past career as an award winning television producer parlays nicely into the online space - especially cultivating collaborations, creating successful events, and being an idea generator

āœ… My own 30+ years journey as a marketing entrepreneur gives me insight into a creative entreprenurā€™s challenges and struggles

āœ… At some point in every online entrepreneurā€™s journey, they will want and NEED to hire a coach who can help them stay on track and reach their goals.. And I especially know this to be true for ā€œcreativeā€ entrepreneurs.

āœ… Business owners that work with a coach and are in collaboration with a community - with accountability, idea sharing, support, and understanding, go further - faster.

My own journey to this point has not been easy.
But I harnessed my previous skills as a television producer, and moved into the online world.

And while it has been challenging...itā€™s clearly where Iā€™m supposed to be.

And a recent update:
2024 is proving to be a BIG year of change for me.

šŸ˜³ I shut down my after school program and the new studio (after 16 great years)
šŸ  My husband and I packed up and moved to another state!
šŸ’’ Two of my children got engaged so weddings are in the near future
šŸŽ‰ Iā€™m ready to start this next chapter - both personally and professionally.

So what about you? How have you changed, pivoted, or grown in the past year?
Iā€™d love to hear in the comments below. ā¬‡ļø

Happy Thanksgiving! Count your blessings and be grateful! I know I am! šŸ¦ƒā¤ļøšŸ
11/25/2021

Happy Thanksgiving! Count your blessings and be grateful! I know I am! šŸ¦ƒā¤ļøšŸ

11/18/2021

Want to Plan, Organize, and Schedule your 2022? I'm thinking about creating a 1 hour workshop where I'll share exactly how I do this with my creative online entrepreneur clients. It's $27 ā€” DM me for details.

ā“Did you know?That several years ago, I used to have a portrait photography studio and business.šŸ–„It was then that I disc...
11/05/2021

ā“Did you know?

That several years ago, I used to have a portrait photography studio and business.

šŸ–„It was then that I discovered online education and business learning in the photography niche.

šŸ“·There were many photography experts that I learned from including Jamie Bright, Sarah Petty, Joy Vertz, and Jen Basford to name a few.

šŸ’”What I also learned, was that many of these experts didnā€™t act alone. They had (and still have) successful business partnerships with one being the ā€œfaceā€ and the other ā€œbehind the scenes strategy.ā€

For many years I longed for that kind of collaboration and business partnerships.

Fast forward to present day.

šŸ’›I am blessed to have found success with business partnerships and client relationships where they are the ā€œfaceā€ of the business and I am a strategic ā€œbehind the scenesā€ partner.

What Iā€™ve also learned is that

šŸ’›We. Are. Better. Together.

This weekend, my business partner is in town for her in person workshop retreat.
Weā€™ve met our amazing community manager for the first time in person, too.

šŸ„³ļøThe fun weā€™re already having is insane.
šŸ’—The impact that weā€™ll make this weekend will be immeasurable.

If you are a solopreneur and ā€œgoing it aloneā€ - I encourage you to seek out someone to help you go farther, faster.šŸ

āœ…In the coming weeks, Iā€™ll be opening up some VIP days each month to help creative online entrepreneurs stay in their zone of genius by creating a custom ā€œOrganizing Your Overwhelm; Your 90 day Prioritizing Planā€ - DM me if youā€™d like more information!

Hey creative online entrepreneurs!Want to build your email list, your audience, and your influence? Iā€™m thinking about c...
11/02/2021

Hey creative online entrepreneurs!
Want to build your email list, your audience, and your influence? Iā€™m thinking about creating a workshop on exactly how to do thatā€¦all without ads. Itā€™s $27. Drop a comment if youā€™re interested!

Hey creative online entrepreneurs! Want to build your email list, your audience, and your influence? I'm thinking about ...
11/02/2021

Hey creative online entrepreneurs!
Want to build your email list, your audience, and your influence? I'm thinking about creating a workshop on exactly how to do that...all without ads. It's $27. Drop a comment if you're interested.

Happy RANGER BOY!
08/26/2021

Happy
RANGER BOY!

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