Confidence and Growth from a Book Journey

Cindy
Hello everybody and welcome to the Business Book Bistro, where you’ll learn from fellow authors what’s working for them right now to leverage their book for sales and profit. You’re bound to discover some ways, new ways that you might make more money with your book too. I’m your host Cindy Carothers, also known as the Beyond Book Sales Coach, and today I am thrilled to welcome Jasmin Haley.

She is the author of, I’m going to have to look at this and read from it because it’s got a little bit of a subtitle to it. I can get the beginning of it – The Breakthrough To Excellence, which is fine. Escape Fear To Reclaim Your Power And Conquer Your Goals. She is an award winning national speaker, podcaster, professional educator and business growth strategist.

She’s the founder of Breakthrough to Excellence Network where she helps women business owners create a business that supports their vision and helps them to scale.

Her philosophy focuses on building your confidence and building the business structure to support your goals without sacrificing what you love most in life.

So if you’re an online service based entrepreneurial woman who wants to scale your business without overwhelm, she’s got some advice for you today, and I am so thrilled to welcome Jasmin Haley.

Thanks for coming.

Jasmin
Thank you for the warm welcome Cindy.

Cindy
You’re very very welcome. Now, why don’t you tell us – the listeners and viewers – a little bit about you know why you wrote your book. What was the thinking and the thought process behind it?

Jasmin
Well, I had been thinking about writing my book for some time, and actually had had it like shelved for like a year and a half, almost two years, and I had seen other colleagues of mine who I was inspired by put out their books and I’m like “Jazz – What in the world? What are you doing?” Right? So, I wrote it specifically for my daughters. And I wrote it for women who struggle with seeking their goals and going for their goals, and they have dealt with burnout, or fear that have kind of kept them from conquering their goals. So, that is the main reason why I wrote my book, I wanted to share my story, a bit of it, but also show the science and the research backing why when we continue on the route of burnout, or living in fear, of the harmful effects it has on our lives. And so, by taking a look at my own life, looking at the lives of my own clients and looking at the serious data that shows that, ‘hey, something gotta change’. Hopefully that will invoke other women to inspired action, as well as my daughters, something for them when they’re ready to read it. My eldest has read it. My 12 year old has read my book ya’all.

Cindy
I was just gonna say you wrote your book for your daughters, so how is this working for your business?

Jasmin
So, um, it’s, it’s been great to finally have my product like to actually have something out there. I was just talking to someone I said “man, now I feel like I’m such a different person from the person that was actually writing this book. And I’m ready to write a second one. And I know exactly what that one is going to be about – like how I would do things differently.

So I’m hoping through this conversation we can talk about what I’ve learned, and also some things that you could use as you are using your knowledge and your expertise to leverage and scale your businesses, if you decide to do so.

For me, primarily I use this in multiple ways. This will be going with me when I’m out speaking, I’ll be gifting it, I use it for raffles when I’m out there speaking, I share it with clients that I’m working with, I sell the book as well. There’s so many ways in which you could share your information out there and do so in a wonderful way, by being self-published.

Cindy
Now something I want to follow up on is that you said you were a different person having written this book. Can you tell us a little bit about that without like maybe, I don’t know, getting too vulnerable or too embarrassed or whatever it is? Just – what makes you a different person?

How did it change you?

Jasmin
I’ve just evolved so much in my thinking. And oftentimes what I’ve heard from other authors is that when they’ve re-read their book, they’re like oh why did I say that?

So I would say like for me when I read my book or I’m looking at things I have written, so much has changed and especially when it comes to… the book really emphasizes the importance of having an ironclad commitment for internal transformation. We cannot reach our goals, we can’t have a fulfilled life personally and professionally if we’re not firmly grounded and rooted in who we are. And so through my own personal work, that’s how I know I’ve changed. Just by reading this book and seeing “Man – I can’t wait for the next one”. And what information I’m going to share to really help other people feel empowered in their own journey.

Cindy
Sounds kind of like you’re documenting your personal development growth. Like, this is the first book, and here’s where I was and it can help people who are where I was and now that I’m here.

Okay, you can’t see me because this camera doesn’t show my hands. I’m sorry – I talk with my hands a little bit. And so, you started here, and this is good for where you were. And now you’re here and you’re going to write a second book, and probably when you can finish that book, you’re going to say, oh, and now I’m growing here so there will be a journey and a documentation, and, and things to help not only your daughters, but other people, as, as you’ve changed.

So great, that’s very exciting, that’s very cool. A lot of people do look back and they say I have changed. It’s really hard for them sometimes to speak to exactly how it’s changed. So I was really curious to see if you could pinpoint like something specific – are you more confident, are you more open? Is there something specific about how you’ve changed that you can pinpoint or is it just more like, No, I’m just more excited and able to go forward?

Jaasmin
I think my confidence is at a different level.

And I feel like each level is… it’s not saying that my confidence level was anything wrong with that, I feel like we’re all elevating to our highest potential.

And so, my confidence at that level is now at a at another level, thinking “oh my gosh, I’ve learned so much more and how much more so do to other women who are in the same journey like I am would benefit from this information” as we’re all trying to get to our highest potentials so I would say that’s the biggest thing; is just naturally we should all be growing and evolving. If not, you’re miserable.

I mean people get to a point of being unfulfilled and burnt out because there’s no growth; there’s nothing really pulling at your heartstrings and pulling at, you know, what makes us fulfilled which is our God-given purpose. So I feel that at every step of the way, every single person should be evolving at some point. And when you write your first book you’re probably going to say the same thing.

When I write my second one, third if I so desire, that’s what’s going to happen. And so I’m excited for it, it’s not enough for me to say you know let me shelve it, that it’s enough for me to just share it. And so that people that have known me and have witnessed my growth from the very beginning, are able to see that even though I’ve dealt with certain challenges – I’ve dealt with healing from trauma that I needed to heal from, I’ve dealt with toxic work environment, being completely burnt out, I’m still moving forward and so can we. I’m human, just as anyone else is. And, you know, I choose to overcome the challenges and give back, in the way that I see fit. And so whatever shape or form you see to do it – Go ahead. Do it and make it and do it with joy, do it with joy. And excellence.

Cindy
I can see the joy and the enthusiasm, even when your face is resting. You just have a, I’m going to say like a serenity maybe.

Maybe it’s the confidence, but you’re just very calm, very there. And I wondered how much of that you had before, or how much of it is as a result of the book?

Jasmin
It comes from the journey that I have started. I would say 2015 was when I really, really started diving into personal development, and what we all want is a measure of peace.

You know now, with that said, I am still a mental health warrior, I still deal with depression, I still deal with anxiety. Those are parts of me that I can’t remove.

However, I have, I have not allowed it to prevent me from going forward with my goals, getting visible to go forward with my goals and honoring the purpose that has been given to me. So I think, you know, that’s all an important aspect that we should take into consideration. That it’s not the book, it’s really the journey that I’ve been starting several years ago, to really peer into who I am as a person and what it is that makes me feel fulfilled.

Cindy
It’s exciting that we’ve kind of diverged a little bit off topic from using your book in your business, and in marketing, but I think the backstory is always really interesting to people because they look at where you’ve been, they look at what you’re doing, they look at where you are now and they wonder “How did you get to wherever you are”. And you’re absolutely right when you comment that we’re always elevating to a little higher level, and every level that somebody is on is perfect for where they are, and the intention is to keep moving forward, to keep elevating, whether it’s a huge job, or whether it’s a little step. The idea is just to keep moving forward.

Let’s go back a little bit to where we were with books and marketing and monetizing and off of personal development, although I could talk about this with you forever.

Tell us about how you are, or maybe have planned to use your book from the beginning, and what you’re doing to market it, and to monetize it. I know you mentioned you’re selling it, you give it away and raffle it, which is an idea that actually I don’t think anybody’s mentioned before, so that’s a good one.

Have had you planned to use your book from the beginning? Has that stayed the same or has it changed as you’ve been moving through this process?

Though let me back up. When did you publish the book? When did you first start with it?

Jasmin
February of this year 2021.

Cindy
So it’s was pretty new. So you’re working through part of the covid quarantine kind of issues. How do you plan to use your book? Has that changed it all as you progressed?

Jasmin
Of course it did change because I just said I’m going to write a book, and that was it. I had no strategy.

I just said, I want to write a book. I want to get my message out there and didn’t really think about all that it takes in order to do that. And thank God because I feel like if I really knew how much it took, I would say, Yep. Not today.

So I am actually happy that my number one strength is futuristic. I always think ahead and envision like oh, this would be amazing so I knew I just wanted to write it. And so what I did not realize was the importance of marketing it before it’s actually out.

And so that was one of the big things that I needed to come to terms with and strategize to get the message out there that it (the book) is there. So just like if – for those of you that don’t know I have an online business – so just like if I had a new program that was launching, a new program, we’d set up a runway, or we set up a pathway or roadmap for people to start getting excited about what it is that we’re doing, and then we go, guess what, I’ve got this amazing program for you.

So that’s the same exact concept when we’re looking at our book. So not only is it the writing process, which could take however long you’re going to take to write your book, but you also have to think about the strategy now of once the book is done, do you want crickets, or do you want people that are excited to purchase what you have? So that was a big transition from me from going to the idea of wanting to write it, kind of stalling on it and not really getting it finished and I sought the help of editors to help me in the process of having it and getting it done and keeping me accountable, through the process of having the book finished.

So that was a big big big thing that I realized.

And when we are writing a book it is so important to not be in a place where we’re shy about it. You know, tell your friends; get your friends involved in the process. Get people involved in the process where they are, you know, providing reviews of your book prior to the entire book coming out, so that you can get feedback from individuals. Those are also great testimonials that you can add onto your site and add into your book before it becomes published.

So those are some things that we should keep in mind when we’re putting it out there because nothing hurts the ego more than actually putting the book out and nobody’s interested.

Then you’re gonna feel defeated and go through this whole, like, emotional ups and downs so strategy is important. There is something more than just actually writing the book that you can utilize and there’s a ton of people out there that specialize on leveraging your book in multiple ways as you are growing.

Cindy
You mentioned the importance of getting an editor and help with the writing process, and I would echo that and encourage people to do that.

The other thing and though you didn’t say, but when you talked it came to my mind is, if you’re looking to launch your book, and make a big splash, and that’s it (the only thing), then you’re going to be really disappointed if you didn’t have a strategy in place in the beginning and you just put it out there.

But if you’re going to use your book in your business, you need to take a longer term kind of approach and thought process that it’s not one and done, I’m going to keep using it. And I think you exemplify that very well. You published it, you launched it in February, here it is, four months later, you’re getting out there, you’re talking about your book, you’re giving it away in raffles, and you’re still talking to people about leaving reviews. I mean you’re doing things all the time It’s not just “Hey, I’ve launched my book, oh my goodness it’s over”. It’s a continuous process; it’s a long term strategy that you can keep using. It’s not like “I’ve launched my book it’s over.” Let’s, let’s see how we can keep using it. And I think if you don’t have a strategy in the beginning to use it, you can develop it kind of as you as you go along.

And I know with a lot of people that I talk to, as they’re going along and they’re learning and growing and changing, things come up that they hadn’t really expected when they initially started with it. So you basically said, ‘I’m going to write a book’. You may not have had a whole lot of expectations up front but was there anything that happened during your journey that really surprised you? That maybe was unexpected or maybe you kind of saw it coming on the horizon, but the results were better than you thought they’d be? So what was something that happened that was unexpected or that surprised you?

Jasmin
So, what was unexpected was the need for me to do a little bit more research. Now I have a very high research based personality before I actually act. But I felt like I should have done a little bit more. So this is actually a gentle warning to those who are writing.

I had had referrals to several different organizations out there that help with books and things of that nature. But one of the things that we have to remember, especially in the self-publishing world is that not every editor, not every agency, not every person that works in the self-publishing world is made equal. And so it’s very important for you, even if you received a referral, to really do your due diligence to make sure that what it is that you’re looking for that that particular organization is able to provide for you.

So that was a big surprise for me because, again, I came into it saying “Well, I want to write a book”, and I didn’t do as much research as I should have done to make sure that all of my goals and things that I wanted to achieve, were fully possible with anything that I outsourced through this process. So when we are looking at what is it that we want to achieve beyond just writing the book, take a walk inside of a bookstore and look at some books that are in the same genre as you. Get a feel of what the book looks like. Start thinking beyond just the writing process and think about what is it that you want to achieve. Are you going to go on a book tour? Are you going to have a party, are you going to monetize your book by having, you know, apparel, stickers? Anything outside of just writing the book and getting very clear on that and then making sure that you vet the people that you decide to use to outsource, because it can be very costly to you.

And one of the biggest things you have to realize in writing a book is that this isn’t going to be a major moneymaker. Right? You’re not going to sell like a gazillion books because you’re Oprah Winfrey, right?

This is actually going to bring awareness to your brand. It’s something for long term success. You can monetize in multiple ways. It can lead to possible contracts or other type of client work outside of just writing this book.

So, again, it’s a great accolade but just also measure your expectations and truly understand what this process is going to be like and hire the people that actually have the receipts; that they know exactly what it is that they’re doing, so that you don’t go through the process of wasting money or ending up being resentful or frustrated during a book creation. Because book creation is not for the faint of heart.

Cindy
That’s a really good piece of advice and I have a suspicion there’s a real story behind that for another episode of the Bistro, where we talk about outsourcing mistakes and how to avoid that, but that’s maybe another time. ‘Cuz we’re running out of time here.

You’ve shared a lot of information.

I usually ask if there’s a way for people to get started, or if there’s any kind of final advice, but before we do that I was going to ask you to talk.

Jasmin has a gift for the listeners and viewers. Would you share that with them while I drop the link to that in the notes here?

Jasmin
Yes, if you are currently a six figure business owner who is burning the candle from both ends, you feel overworked, underpaid and unfulfilled in your current business and you’re ready to scale, without the chaos and you want to get your life back, then this is a great, awesome freebie I have. It is a checklist is called The Three Ways To Simplify Scaling Your Business, and you can get it at bit dot ly forward slash simplify scaling.

It is an awesome way for you to take an assessment of your business, see where your gaps are and see what areas you need to move forward with, as you are growing it. Don’t give up. Don’t go out and get that nine to five just yet if you can avoid it. Really look at where those gaps are first, prior to making any major decisions in your business as you look at finding ways to grow and scale.

Cindy
Okay, that sounds like a final piece of advice – unless there’s something else you wanted to share Jasmin.

Jasmin
That’s it!

This has been a great conversation. I appreciate you.

Cindy
So get started with your book. Keep moving forward. Stay committed. Oh my gosh, so many, so many things that have come out of this.

I want to thank everyone who’s watching whether you are live or on the replay. And I am sure that you’ve gotten some really good ideas today because I have been making notes here.

I really want to thank you, Jasmin for being here and for sharing with everyone today.

Let me remind you that we are a weekly show so we’ll be back here next week at noon I think it’s going to be June 4 maybe or third I don’t have it in front of me.

My gosh, where has the year gone?

Anyhow, we’d love to have you back here to listen in and/or watch and see what other authors have to say.

If you are interested in being a guest here, I would love to talk with you; send me a direct message.

And please let any other authors that you know – tell them about us.

We are the Business Book Bistro, where you can learn from other authors what’s working right now to market and sell more books, and to use your book in building a business or spreading a message.

I’m your host Cindy Carothers signing off now and wishing you much success in all you do. Thank you, Jasmin. Thank you viewers. Take care everybody. Bye bye.