Soul Proprietor - EASE versus EASY. Know the difference. Cut the nonsense.

Earning six figures laying on your ass eating Doritos? NOPE. Not gonna happen.

Earning six figures while working hard…while feeling calm, centered and generous? THAT’S doable.

It’s time to lose the fantasies and get real.

Here are a few “easy street” mantras you need to drop right this minute:

Passive income will make you rich. Just publish, sit back, and collect the dough!
Invest in a six figure coach/product/program/unicorn and you’ll make six figures in a few months too!
Put up a web site and bam – you’re rolling in piles of money just like Demi Moore did in Indecent Proposal!

Chuck ’em…every single one. There are no “short cuts” or “secret formulas.” So-called “Easy Street” is a dead end.

Instead, let’s get all practical ‘n stuff – and find some ease for your biz:

Stop investing in high-end coaches or ridiculous products and programs that promise “easy” success. Before you plunk down your hard-earned cash, do your research. If that sales copy is luring you in with dollar signs in your eyes, how do you know it’s for real? Not every “six figure coach” is telling the truth about their income or their lifestyle. Dig a little and you might be shocked at what you find.

Instead put your money into pragmatic products and services that will make your business run right: a good accountant, a talented web designer, a virtual assistant, or a program that might teach you a skill you actually need.

Passive income is not the road to riches and it’s not passive. You still have to promote that stuff. That part can be done smartly. A few simple ideas: get on a social media platform such as Hootsuite and schedule in some automatic tweets. Create a link to your product at the end your email signature. Remind people with a blurb in your newsletter (you do have a newsletter, right?). Write blog posts that are relevant to the product. Keep on pimping it out so that people remember that you’ve got something they want or need. (These are all EASY ways to market any part of your business.) Wanna get super-real? Read these truths about passive income from Racheal Cook and Paul Jarvis, two entrepreneurs I trust and respect.

Rather than trying to aim for a six-figure four hour work week (let me repeat: that’s really rare), try to create a sane schedule that leaves breathing room in your day but still allows you to get your money-making activities done. Start by taking inventory of your business. Identify time leaks in your schedule as well as what actions regularly bring in income. For example, do you spend countless hours on social media and get zero results whereas your newsletter tends to bring in more business? If so, cut out that time burglar and put your energy into adding more swagger to your newsletter.

Put all of your important documents in one place that you can easily access no matter where you are in the world. I prefer Evernote and Dropbox. I can use them seamlessly no matter what device I am on. This makes my world really functional when I’m on the road.

You don’t have to be strapped at the computer 24/7. Automatic systems make running your biz a breeze:

Get rid of the back and forth with your clients with a scheduling system such as Time Trade.
Autoresponders and canned email templates will save you a ton of time (and typing!).
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools such as Contactually help you to easily stay in touch with your clients.
Electronic bookkeeping systems keep your finances in order. There are many good ones to choose from such as Quickbooks. A few minutes each day entering in data and bam – dunzo!
Got a team? Use programs such as Asana or Evernote (my favorite) to stay on top of projects.

Aim for “ease,” not “easy.” Work hard. Keep it real. You’ll be much happier (and wealthier) when you do.

Blessings,

Theresa