Online Mastery Journal

A Capricorn at heart who loves to escape w/ a good book. I challenge myself daily and accept no less than what I deserve. I dance through life with my eyes closed and it's been exhilarating thus far. #OGMillennial

[paigefluker]

The Finish Line: Presenting my business @TheFeminineCoach

My name is Paige Fluker and I’m on a mission to help millennial women reduce stress, burnout & feelings of inadequacy. I help women turn down the pressure and turn up your leadership, communication and relationship skills for authentic and sustainable success. @TheFeminineCoach

Wow, what a 12-month journey of mastering and designing my future as a business owner and entrepreneur! 

During our final course: Business Presentation, was the final step in completing my Master’s degree with Full Sail University. This course was the sole purpose of the year-long program.

What I learned was the importance of communicating your business to others. The final presentation consists of presenting live to a panel of instructors. The instructors are tasked with asking the right questions, just as you are tasked with providing the right answers to your solution. 

In my business, the imbalance of using masculine energy at work and finding difficulty turning it down at homes causing millennial women to stress and burn out at increasingly high rates. The strive to conquer it all is leaving women more depleted and unfulfilled than ever. 

My solution is Feminine Coaching. This type of coaching targets increasing Femininity to balance the excessive Masculine energy from smashing goals all day at work. Improving this balance reduces the pressure and burnout and increases pleasure in the client’s life, which in turn positively impacts her communication, leadership and relationships.

My goal for this course was to see the value in my solution and push myself to communicate it confidently. I am naturally not a person who speaks out, as I’m more of an observer who annotates findings and reports them, lol. 

Because of that, I was challenged to believe in my business and its effectiveness so much, that I would happily share it with others. 

I’m grateful for this final course because it put everything together and the result was a tangible business plan that identifies the problem, highlights my solution and how it differs from the competition; it also details my projected 1st year revenue while detailing complete financials -- all while communicating my marketing plans and how I intend to slay my money goals. 

This was a great way to wrap up my business solution and prepare to launch!

[paigefluker]

How to Measure the Effectiveness of your Business

Measure, measure, measure. That’s what’s it’s all about. Well, for the past four weeks in my Business Model Implementation Management course at Full Sail University, I’ve learned the importance of effectively implementing & measuring your business model. 

My original goal for this course was to identify methods to keep my business in line and ensure that I’m staying on track with my marketing, sales and customer  engagement.

During the course, we reviewed the real in’s and out’s of entrepreneurship. For example, if you’re looking to start your own business to do what you love then quit now and get paid to fulfill your passion. The reality is, entrepreneurs usually spend a lot of time doing less of what they love and more time running their business.

Ultimately, I learned that I need to be prepared for that. I need to understand the importance of the various functions of management, the truth about what entrepreneurs do with their 8 hours and how to get feedback from my clients.

I see myself definitely applying this information to my business. Planning is essential, but it also can’t go on for so long that I don’t make a move. Thankfully, this course introduced me to some essential touch points as I finalize my educational journey in entrepreneurship.

[paigefluker]

The Truth About Innovative Work Environments

What a month. I’d never guess the importance of your environment until this class. Of course I’ve thought about my work environment, when working for someone else, but this month was all about the environment an entrepreneur, or start up needs to create for innovation. 

My original goal for this class was to learn why it’s important to have a well-designed office. What I ended up learning was so much more.

Workplace design actually has an effect on workers. Optimizing the space for collaboration, flow and privacy is important and will impact a business and its bottom line.

Since my life coaching business is primarily virtual, my current office (above) is ideal. I have a dedicated space that supports me which is essential. That support is what most organizations now seek to incorporate into office design. 

Overall, workplace design should be a well thought out and considered plan. The need for connectivity and various types of support help businesses flourish. When workers are engaged, they are able to thrive and innovate. 

[paigefluker]

Getting into the weeds of Branding & Marketing

This month in Marketing Strategies for Entrepreneurs I was challenged to get clear and concise on who I am, who I’m talking to, what I’m talking about and how I’ll let everyone know. 

Albeit, it sounds confusing, but honestly it was more clarity than anything else.

We kicked off the month by learning the difference between branding and marketing, and how to clearly identify your target market. Although I have previous experience in marketing and public relations, it felt completely different since this was for my business and my brand. 

I was able to clearly define my target audience as ambitious professional millennial women age 26-36. Educated; living in urban or suburban area with an income between $79K - $200,000K. These women have demanding lifestyles albeit personal, or professional with high levels of stress and potential for burnout.

Overall, my goal for this class was to pick up a few new tools to use for my business that would save me money in the marketing department. Unexpectedly, it turned out that the tools weren’t a third party app, or site, but rather planning. 

I learned the SOSTAC model, which I was able to quickly implement for my future business launch. I found it to be a great addition to my business planning because it’s short and to the point. 

I’m grateful for this month’s course and I plan to use the tools and strategies learned to gain new clients and launch my business within the next three to four months! 

[paigefluker]

Finances of an Entrepreneur: when $$ makes sense

This month in my Entrepreneurial Finance course I learned so much about the inner financial workings of a business. When I began this course, my initial thoughts were, “HELP ME, I HATE MATH!” but thank goodness THIS math was all about money, and making it make sense. 

I was sooo up for the challenge.

In this class I learned that it’s important for a startup to fully understand profits and loss, how to read a financial statement, identify your cash flow and what’s working capital. This course packed a TON of bang for the buck!! I was able to identify my start up costs, determine where the money would come from and how I would make a profit in my business. 

For the first time ever, I saw the art in Finance.

Lastly, we even learned how to craft the perfect elevator pitch that would leave investors ready to give us their $$$. I will absolutely use everything that I learned this month. 

This was an exciting class and I promise I never would’ve imagined how much fun entrepreneurial finance could be. 

[paigefluker]

Is This Legal?

This month in my Legal in Entrepreneurship course my goal was to learn how to stay safe within my business.

What’s safe? Safe to me was learning what I needed to properly register and protect my business from others wanting to copy my brand, or even content.

This course helped me do just that. I learned about the importance of protecting your intellectual property, writing contracts, and registering your business.

Moving forward, I feel so much more protected than before. I now know how to negotiate with third parties, write binding contracts, and leverage the assistance of attorneys and other subject matter experts.

[paigefluker]

Putting It All Together, How I Chose My Business Model

Another month, another opportunity to grow and refine my business skills. 

This month during my Innovation & Entrepreneurship program at Full Sail University I learned how to select the BEST business model as a new entrepreneur, and most importantly one that will fit my business.

My original goal for this course was to learn what business models would generate the most income for my venture and to hopefully be able to choose one that I could apply to my life coaching venture. 

Can we say SUCCESS!

During this month’s course on Business Model Development I learned SO much more than I imagined. The very first task was to clearly identify what problem our customer faced and what solution our venture provided. 

I was able to identify my ideal customer and her problem -- feeling overworked, disconnected and burned out and create a unique solution I call Feminine Coaching. 

In order to do this, I really needed to understand what value this type of service would bring to my customer and also articulate how my coaching differs from what another coach may offer. 

It sounds a lot easier than it is -- trust me.

With life coaching, the value lies in two places -- the coach (their experience), and the intended results. This class really helped me think deeper on how to deliver those results. 

We discussed various business models and what helps some companies thrive and what causes others to shrivel up and die. I learned that some business models can be fluid and still work, but more importantly they all have to seek innovation. 

Me in particular, I like the Freemium business model. I chose this model because it’s startup friendly, low cost and allows me continue to build and innovate as my business evolves. 

Moving forward on this mind blowing journey of self-development, business development and creation -- one of the most important ways I plan to apply what I’ve learned in this course to my business is in my business description. 

One assignment was to simplify your business description in 140 characters or less and this is what I came up with: 

Coaching ambitious women in owning their feminine power for greater leadership, relationships and communication.

So, what do ya think?

[paigefluker]

A New Relationship?

It’s literally what I feel has happened this month in my Business Feasibility course. I’m in a new relationship...a business one, albeit, but definitely a new one. And yes, for the record, it comes with all of the butterflies!

Business feasibility is about focusing on what makes a lasting business. It’s taking the time to assess your business -- its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, as well as determine if it’s something you really want to do. 

Is it a hobby, or can you make some real money?

I learned that in order to do this the right way, I had to treat it like a relationship. I had to invest (at this stage it’s time and energy) in it without knowing if I was going to get back what I planned to put in. I had to be open, vulnerable and sure that I was pursuing this because I wanted to. And I had to determine if I’d created a solid enough foundation to continue down the path of creating a fabulous life coaching service for women of color, or if I should pivot based on feedback. 

Pretty much a relationship’s “getting to know you” phase. 

To do this, I took a look at the coaching industry and thought of different ways to create a business model. I thought about competitors and pricing my products, how much it will cost to get started and how healthy the market currently is. 

Although there was lots to consider, I’m glad that I was able to identify the strengths and weaknesses early, so I can focus on the future opportunities. 

Determining the feasibility of your business is supposed to be a quick way to see where you’re strong, or where you may have some challenges. Regardless of how long it takes, it’s essential. Let’s just say I will have less headaches in the near future.

[paigefluker]

What a whirlwind four weeks! For the past month, I’ve been working toward mastery in product design and development, and if there was one word to sum it all up, that would be Value! 

Initially, when I found out Product Design and Development would be the next course in my Master’s Degree program at Full Sail University, I wasn’t too sure what to expect. I figured that, by its name alone, we would discuss good vs. bad products and how to design a winner. Well, I had some of the idea right. 

I did learn what good design is, but what I truly learned was how impactful the Lean Startup method is when it comes to brainstorming, creating and testing products. I learned that it’s more important to gather feedback and refine the solution your product provides, than it is to ensure everything is designed and developed perfectly. I also learned how innovation plays a role in this development and the need for a minimum viable product, or MVP, and how simple yet impactful they can be. Any ideas or notions that I initially had were definitely normalized, yet blown away at the same time.

Defining value for your product/service is my number 1 takeaway from this course. If you have no value, you have no customer and you have no business. Based on what I learned in this course about the importance of value, feedback and operating from curiosity, rather than knowing it all caused me to put my business out there and even gain a client.  I will continue to apply these principles to my life coaching service and I’m excited to see how this will mold and shape my business. 

[paigefluker]

What’s Good Business Research?

The Business Venture Research course was a welcomed surprise of rich, down-to-earth and all encompassing information from real entrepreneurs. Initially, I was under the impression that I’d spend four weeks filled with never-ending research and boredom. Thankfully that wasn’t the case. In fact, it was far from that. My goal was to learn how to research and collect data, so that I could later apply the same methods to my business. What I learned from this course, and what stood out to me was that business and entrepreneurship takes detailed research that must continue throughout the life of the business. I loved how we were able to read about and hear from entrepreneurs and startup founders who were unafraid to share their journey and struggles.  In addition to hearing from real people with real businesses, I was able to learn more about what constitutes good data and how to analyze it for one’s business needs. Overall, the most important information that I will be able to take with me into my business is to always seek to solve a pain point for the consumer. They will tell you exactly what they need. This was definitely the most important research point. I’m excited to know that my future business will have a solid foundation due to thorough research. Because of this class I feel confident knowing which public sites to visit to learn more about my industry, its viability and growth opportunities. 

[paigefluker]

It’s Throwback Thursday and I’m taking it back to my recent trip in Costa Rica. This trip is what I would call the culmination to a year-long journey of self-knowledge and discovery. I learned so much about who I am, who I’m not and my soul’s desire. A lot of that, I was able to use and apply to my life immediately upon my return back to the States and during my Mastery journey and more specifically my Creativy and Innovation course. 

When touching on creativity and innovation, by goals were to gain a better understanding of how to apply innovation to my current experiences and how I can build on those experiences to make an experience for someone else better or more defined. I learned that innovation doesn’t happen in a box, but instead in an environment that I create. Also, I learned that to be innovative is to be unique, curious, passionate and empathetic. I’d never thought about the softer skills needed. Finally, I was pleased to discover that innovation can be applied to any and everything. From creating a better dinner using leftovers, or observing an idea that someone else created and determining a more tailored solution for your audience. There are so many ways to apply innovation and creativity personally and professionally. 

[paigefluker]

                                           (photo courtesy of Pinterest)

I’m guilty. I’ve been that person who dreams and brainstorms and then the action never comes. So this week I’m inspired by action. Dreaming is great but when you add a plan and take action, that’s how you truly manifest.  

[paigefluker]

                                    (photo courtesy of Oprah.com)

Iyanla Vanzant is a minister, life coach, public speaker and more. Her work inspires me because she teaches others that healing & understanding comes in many different forms, and that everyone deserves to be loved. Her authenticity and the love she exudes when working with her clients is contagious and encourages me to carve my own path.  

[paigefluker]

Today was interesting -- to say the least. I came face-to-face with my Life’s Tasks and it felt really good.

I popped onto Papaly, a bookmarking site, to bookmark a few pages that speak to my Life’s Task and will help in researching my mastery (Creativity, helping others and self-expression).

Then I went to Feedly to make sure that I’m up-to-date on industry information and news on elements of my Life’s Task; acting/entertaining, beauty/hairstyling and life coaching.

Finally, I worked on a logo that I’m thinking of using as a communication and relationship skills coach. I’m interested in working with others on developing communication and relationship skills. 

Although communication is my background, stepping into a coaching or an influencer position is more visual and less team-oriented than anything I’ve ever experienced. 

Here’s to a newish beginning!

[paigefluker]

Mastering My Domain

“She remembered who she was and the game changed.” ― Lalah Delia

Hi, and welcome to my blog. 

I’m Paige, a mom of 3 handsome boys, wife to an awesome husband and current student at Full Sail University. 

For the next 12 months I’d like to invite you into my entrepreneurship experience as I learn more about myself and how to start a business. 

Now I’m sure people don’t usually do that, lol, but I’ve always managed to do things a bit differently -- to include this blog. This blog is actually a mastery journal. 

So what’s a mastery journal? 

Well, with my mastery journal, you’ll get to follow me on my journey as a student in Full Sail University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Master’s degree program. My journal will serve as a space for discovery, reflection, transparency and knowledge as I navigate through the steps to entrepreneurship, from refining my business idea and niche -- to the actual creation and birth of my new business.

I’m excited about what’s to come and in disbelief at the same time. I’m really hoping that throughout this experience I will be able to look back over the next year and reflect on how far I’ve come and how each experience or challenge has helped to mold me for the better.

One of the first steps in my entrepreneurship journey is to master my domain. I need to get clearer on my business and in order to do that, I have to get clearer with myself and going back to my childhood passions will definitely help. 

As part of our readings in class, I learned that in order to master your domain you must tap into your authenticity. So, for the next few weeks I plan to explore my childhood passions. I’m ready to rediscover the past to create the future; I’m ready for the game to change.

~Paige