Episode 24:  Ever think about writing a book?  In this episode, I interview Cathy Fyock who’s a professional book writing coach.  We’ll discuss how she works with her authors, why you should consider writing book and part of the process involved in accomplishing it.

Cathy began coaching after writing her own books.  She had been consulting, but wasn’t as happy in this role, as she’d hoped.  She had managed to write 4 of her 5 books in less than 6 weeks.  A colleague asked her about her process for accomplishing this so efficiently.  That’s when it actually dawned on her that her process did, in fact, exist.  She was invited to give a program on it and engage in a coaching role.  That’s where it all began.

Many people want to write a book.  They recognize the need, but they don’t understand where to get started or how to stay on course to complete it.  Cathy has the solution to these and many other challenges.

What Types of Clients Does Cathy Fyock Help?

Cathy works with professional speakers, consultants, coaches, thought-leaders, solopreneurs, wealth advisors, CPAs, attorneys and realtors.  If you use your expertise as a strategy to serve your client base, codifying that expertise is a way to educate, inspire and sell your client base.

Having published a book can position you as an industry expert.  It lends a high-level of credibility to your personal and professional brand.  The topics in your book can help people realize an alignment between their goals and your ability to help them to achieve those goals.

Your book will help promote a sense of trust and authenticity between you and your target audience.  Cathy is a huge fan of writing your own book, rather than using a ghost writer.  The process will help you to clarify your thoughts and mastery of the topic.

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Podcast Transcript:  Welcome to Episode 7 of Grow For It!  This is a podcast for small business owners, operators and professionals.  I’m Jim, and my goal is to work in the space between your ears – you know, on your mindset – to help you stay focused on those activities that’ll help you to move closer to realizing your Vision.

Today’s episode is about Cultivating Your Brand.  We’ll discuss a common misconception about branding.  We’ll get into things you should be doing to establish a positive brand perception.  Finally, I’ll give you some tips on how you can leverage your brand to achieve your business objectives.

But first, let’s review where we’ve been so far.  In episode 6, we discussed how implementing a Blue Ocean Strategy can help you to discover new markets yielding higher margins with less competition.  The goal is to integrate this strategy based on your SWOT Analysis, your overall business planning and the pursuit of your Vision.

Branding is a huge topic.  There are tons of books, videos and resources that attempt to address it.  My goal for this brief podcast is to break it down into a few steps that provide a foundation for your success.  If you’re ready, Let’s Grow For It!

As a way to dive into today’s topic, let’s clear up a common misconception about brands.  Your brand is not your logo.  The representations of your brand, namely your icon (like the Nike Swoosh or the emblem on your car), your company colors, even the font-style that you use are nothing more than monikers that simply refer to your company and its brand.

As a small business owner or professional, you need to be keenly aware that your brand is what the market determines it is.  What do I mean by that? Read more →