Services

There is Work That You Are Meant to Do,
And NOW is the Time…

All of us are born with a gift, and a purpose. Some people live their entire lives without realizing their dreams. But since you’re here, I’m guessing that’s probably not you.

You may think that you’re starting, or growing, a business, but I want you to think of it as doing your “Great Work” – that very special gift that you’re meant to share (and yes, you can make money doing work that you love).

Whether you are:

A brand new entrepreneur trying to make heads or tails of online business;
A struggling business owner ready to find a clear path to help you finish consistently, and confidently, with less stress; or
An entrepreneur who craves the support and accountability of a small group of like-minded people…

Fulfilling your dreams requires more than just grinding away for hours and hours to get things done. To actually engage in your Great Work, serve the people you are here to help, and enjoy a profitable business doing it, you need to be able to make clear and consistent progress, with the support that you need.

If you:

Have a to-do list that makes you want to go back to bed and pull the covers up over your head…
Have a collection of information products and class materials gathering dust on the shelf…
Have invested in classes, coaching, and maybe even high-dollar mastermind programs…

And yet you feel that someone keeps moving the goal posts further and further away…

We can help.

Most of us were not trained to build a business.

We were trained to punch a time clock, and do what we were told. So when we finally get the courage to step out into the unknown, and give our Great Work a chance, we find it overwhelming. So much to do…

When you finally discover the Great Work you were meant for, you need more than just an understanding of how to build a website, create products, and do effective marketing. To move from concept to creation, without working 80 hour weeks and forgetting your kids’ names, you need to learn the key foundation skills used by successful entrepreneurs to build a profitable, sustainable, and successful business.

Starting is important – but finishing is crucial!

Let’s be clear about something. Getting confused, overwhelmed, or just getting lost in the minute details, is your “reptilian” or “lizard” brain freaking out (that’s the part of our brain that’s left over from caveman days, that helps us in a “fight or flight” situation) . Steven Pressfield calls that our Dragon of Resistance. What triggers so much fear and confusion? Change. You’ve decided something is going to change – something big — your work, and your life, and that’s scary as hell to that part of you that was built to protect you.

In other words – Dragons LOVE the status quo. They will avoid change at all cost. So what’s an entrepreneur to do?

Small Steps, Consistent Action, Group Support

When you are able to get clear and take small steps to reach your most important goals, you quiet that panicked Dragon. Small steps and consistent action make the perceived threat (aka fear of failure — or even fear of success) much more tolerable. And having the support of other, like-minded business owners removes the isolation, and can catapult your business to new levels.

There are plenty of incredible coaches and trainers out there who can teach you all about the key components of online business – from building your website through marketing, to creating your successful product launch. But if you’re overwhelmed with a mile-long to-do list, working in isolation, and things just aren’t getting done, we have the solution.

“Set a goal, and in small, consistent steps, work to reach it. Get support from your peers when you start flagging.”

“While you and I have been busy running down dead ends and wasting our effort, scientists have been busy trying to figure out what actually works. And now they know:

Small steps work.

Consistent effort works.

Group support works.

That’s it. Three things. Set a goal, and in small, consistent steps, work to reach it. Get support from your peers when you start flagging. Repeat.

You will change.” Seth Godin

In Case You Were Wondering…

Since the work that we do in Small Sparks is often counter-intuitive and teaches you to work in a whole new way, you probably have some questions. Here are a few of the things that come up most often:

1. Resistance just isn’t that big of a deal.

Ehhhh…. Wrong! Thank you for playing. Resistance is one of the most underrated, under-acknowledged problems that human beings face. It’s very real – and it’s so much a part of who we are, that we tend to dismiss it. That’s a seriously big mistake. If you’re like me, and you like proof, there are dozens of research studies that clearly prove that the “fight or flight” response is alive and well in all of us, and in the face of change, that Dragon of Resistance is right there, snapping his jaws and breathing fire on your projects. Once you acknowledge Resistance, and start paying attention, you’ll recognize it all over the place – in any area of your life where you want to change something. Fortunately the same research that proves Resistance is real, also provides clues for how to deal with it.

2. You can “do it yourself.”

And you’d be right, of course. In my blog, and in articles or talks, I share everything I’ve learned. I don’t hold back the best stuff, or play games to try and pressure you to buy. If you prefer to take your time and learn everything I can teach you, you are very welcome to hang out, read the blog, and study the resources I share. The difference between going it alone, and getting there with the help of others, is a question of both time, and the quality of the results. It’s taken me lots of years, plenty of frustration, and more money than I care to admit, to figure these things out. The programs listed below will help you reach your destination faster, with less frustration, and in the company of supportive business owners who will cheer you on, provide support when you need it, and celebrate your victories with you.

3. You can hire a Virtual Assistant.

Yes, you can. But I can tell you from experience that for you, as the business owner, Dragon Training skills are still critical, before you can work effectively with your own team.

4. You can join an $18,000+ Mastermind program.

Well, yes, if you have the money, you can. The problem is that even though those groups work for some people, they often just make the problem worse. They feed you information with a fire hose. And until you have basic Dragon Training skills, you’ll just be adding more projects, and more frustration, to your already-overflowing plate.

5. “I just can’t handle one more thing on my to-do list.”

Right again – and that’s why it’s so important for you to learn these skills. This work is about making sure you learn the skills that you need, to get things done. We’ll teach you how to look at that to-do list in a whole different way. We’ll support you in creating new habits, instead of making more lists.

And here’s the Grandaddy of ‘em all:

“I get excited, start something new, and I always fizzle out. I don’t need yet-another project to feel guilty about.”

This is exactly what Small Sparks is all about. You’ve fizzled out in the past because no one taught you how to work with your own version of the Dragon of Resistance. This is all about YOU – not some one-size-fits-all solution.

If you believe in yourself and the work you do, I really want to urge you to give this a try. You will fall off the wagon, but learning how to get back up, dust yourself off, and climb back on the wagon… errrr…. Dragon… is exactly the muscle we’ll help you build.

This is my Great Work – to give others the support, training, and skills that they need to get their own Great Work out into the world – and to Live their Great Life.

The Small Circle

The Small Circle is a practical, affordale, and time-efficient system that provides all 3 of the key components that build a successful business – small steps, consistent action, and group support.

1. Small Steps: Is Your Dragon Calling the Shots?

In the Small Circle we’ll teach you the nitty gritty of why we all struggle to get things done, and what you can do to re-wire your brain, create new habits, and lay out a clear path to accomplish your dreams. We provide a simple, online solution where you can set goals, break your work down into bite-size pieces, and get the support and encouragement of a trained mentor, plus the support of others in your group.

“Working with Denise was just the right kind of support that I needed in terms of practicality, accountability and consistency. I set 3 goals and was able to accomplish them in 2 short weeks. Denise made my work easy and less overwhelming because we broke each goal down into manageable steps so I knew exactly what work I had to do each day. Plus she kept reminding me to “drill it down” to get to the core of each goal and she gently nudged me when I strayed off track a bit. This kind of support is truly what every entrepreneur could use.” Lisa Morningstar http://leadbyintuition.com/

Here’s a peek at what the software looks like. And don’t let those daily checkmarks fool you – this is not a time-consuming process. We’ll show you how to make real progress in only a few minutes each day.

2. Consistent Action: The Turtle Beats the Hare Every Time

You don’t need me to tell you that consistency, in almost everything you do, is important. But for a small business owner, learning how to carve out a few minutes in your day – every day, means you need to understand the process of creating real, lasting change. That change, that consistent action, is what will allow you to step confidently into your Great Work, and live the life you dream of.

Training the Dragon – creating new habits — is a skill you can learn. Getting yourself across that delicious finish line is something you can learn!

“Lucky me, I found Denise and Small Sparks when I was at rock-bottom, frozen and blocked over getting a website for my new virtual assistant business launched into the world. True confessions here, I had been poking around at it for eight months! I know, I know, sad.

What was driving me crazy was that I am generally good at getting things done. To-do lists crumble when I get a hold of them. I couldn’t figure out, what was the problem?

I had plenty of resources: I had laid my money down for an online “How to Build Your Own Website” e-course and books upon books for “How to Write Content.”

I had plenty of advice: Yep, hired a coach that told me over and over that I needed a website, but he couldn’t tell me HOW. What good is accountability without the how?

I had plenty of will: Even scheduled some vacation time to work on it, to no avail.

Turns out the missing piece was HOW. How do I take a big pile of a project and turn it into a small do-able task list? With Denise’s help we quickly picked the next most important step, and she helped me to just let everything else go for now. Mind like water: one step, one success at a time.

I wanted more than accountability; I wanted help and support. Denise and my fellow Small Sparks council members gave personal help, good vibes, big smiles, gentle nudges and celebratory Snoopy Dog Dances for ALL my little victories along the way.

And, my website two months later?

Heavens to Murgatroyd, it’s DONE! Polished, proofed & published with that last satisfying key stroke,

“Enter.”

This work has made a lasting impression on me.”

Joanne Diepenheim

http://rippleeffectsva.com

3. Group Support: The Lone Ranger had Tonto, Batman had Robin

Highly successful business people, from solo-preneurs to corporate giants, will tell you that their success was made possible by the people that they’ve surrounded themselves with – other business people who have complimentary skills, and who held them accountable, while cheering them on.

I’ve learned this lesson myself. I built my first business by learning how to do everything myself. I didn’t have a support group, but I did alright. But I was stuck in a rut, aching to do the work I really love. Then I stumbled on the original concept of a mastermind group — a small group of business colleagues who work together, to build each others’ businesses. Very different from the mastermind groups that are so common today — the ones where you join dozens (sometimes a hundred or more) business people, and pay the big bucks to learn from the master.

That’s all well and good, unless you’re like me, and you just feel lost in big groups, and the additional calls, homework, and live meetings add yet another layer on top of your already-overwhelming to-do list.

So after I heard how original mastermind groups worked, I rushed right out and got myself one. Just a handful of people, working toward similar goals, and encouraging, nudging, and helping each other. I was blown away by the insight and expertise that was shared between us — and it’s a bonus that the total cost is less than a new Ferrari.

The Small Circle provides multiple opportunities to interact with others, form lasting business relationships, and support each other in reaching levels of success you never thought possible.

Small Circle — The Details

If it’s time to get clear, and get things done — select one of the membership options below. Email us if you’d like a 30 minute phone call to find out if this is right for you. info@smallsparksbigresults.com

Small Circle — Core Program

Small Circle — Online accountability system:
- Daily Progress reporting
- Group Forum to share information and resources
- Group Chat to interact live with others in the community
Interaction and support from the community
2 – 3 times per week online support from your mentor
Live Kick-Off call during Week 1
Live Q & A Call during Week 3

Sign up Now!

Small Circle 4 week Recurring Membership — Core Program — Just $67 per 28 day session. Sessions start every 4 weeks.

Or…. Get one on one help to make the most of this opportunity!

Small Circle — Personal Mentor

All the benefits of Small Circle Core, PLUS:
Week 1 Strategy Call – 45 min.
Weeks 2 – 4, Skype session with your mentor (me!) 30 min. each
Review and feedback of 2 to 3 pieces of content or project plans
Full email support

Small Circle – Personal Mentor with individual support — just $347 for 4 weeks. Sessions start every 4 weeks.

Many of our clients have asked if they could start with the Small Circle – Personal Mentoring and then move to the Core program. YES! We recommend this highly. Get personal attention to get you started, understand the principles, and then get ongoing support at the low 4-week recurring rate. Just email us at help@smallsparksbigresults.com to switch your level of membership at any time.