Informal poll of my Central Texas friends...

I'm trying to figure out where to spend my advertising money (which is VERY limited). Would you, as a consumer, be more apt to respond to an ad for services in the Austin Chronicle or The Onion?

Last time I got an ad in the Chronicle, it was a 1/32 display ad in the Services Directory (which amounts to slightly smaller than a business card), which also got me a free line ad. I ran the ad for 2 weeks. I got 2 phone calls. One amounted to nothing, but the other turned into a private client, who referred a friend to me, who has also become a client, and who has also referred a friend to me who is also becoming a client! A very lucrative Return on Investment, that! The Chronicle distributes 90,000 copies each week to more than 1700 locations around town. I'm strongly considering running a Back Page ad for 8 weeks (starting the week of Thanksgiving), which starts at $27 per week, and I get 8 weeks for the price of 6. One client who signs up for 2 sessions will *almost* pay for that, so I think I'm going to do it.

On the other hand, I spoke with a rep from The Onion a few weeks ago, and they have a more attractive package for a bit less money. It's a larger ad, it's in color, and I get free design / layout help. The Onion has a distribution of 40,000 copies each week to 1100 locations, and the demographics of their readership as shown online is quite impressive to me (72% make $50K per year and up, 83% have at least some college education, 50% are between the ages of 35 and 55). I have not advertised with them before.

I'm trying to figure out if I can actually do both, but for the sake of this poll, I'm curious - if I have to choose which one, which should it be?

I'm making a commitment to myself (and my business, of course!) to post at least one online ad a day. Sis has given me a list of free ad sites, and I'm going to start with those.

With my sister's help, my blog is now linked to Facebook! Pretty cool.

Some other good things happening to Inner Pathways Hypnosis include: an interview with Cal Banyan (my teacher), which is going to be published on his website very soon. And my boss at Maki has agreed to post an ad on the Maki Fans page promising a free sushi roll to any Maki customer that registers for my upcoming 7th Path class!

I'm posting ads just about everywhere that I can think of, and I'm in the process of writing a letter to the principal of Reagan High School, who has been given one academic year to bring the school up to an Academically Acceptable standard. I think 7th Path Self-Hypnosis would be very beneficial for the students, as well as for the faculty, staff and parents. I'm hoping she thinks so, too.

My first class is in TWO WEEKS, and I'm very eagerly looking forward to it. I need to make sure I order all my books on Monday so they'll arrive in plenty of time.

I've decided to take the plunge and have the good folks at Banyan Hypnosis design my website for me. They made an offer I couldn't refuse, and they've been doing it well for a long time. They've got the whole SEO (Search Engine Optimization) thing down pat, and I'll have a link on their website. I'm looking forward to it!

I think I've settled on a place to have my first 7th Path classes, and a couple of dates, as well. Now I just need to finalize that with the Crowne Plaza hotel and start advertising the classes! I'm nervous and excited about this prospect. I've taught classes before, and I've done hypnosis and hypnosis demos before, but this will be a relatively new subject for me. I'm worried that I won't get enough people interested in signing up for the classes.

Next I've got to figure out *where* to post flyers. I want to put a bunch downtown, so I'll probably have to spend a day or two hoofing around down there and finding places to put them. I've also got to get my website updated with the right information, which looks like it might take a couple of days...

Making Plans for Classes

In getting training a year ago, I wasn't certain that I'd want to do anything with the 7th Path Self Hypnosis (R) technique other than using it for personal growth and development. But in the intervening time, I've thought more and more about teaching it in a seminar or classroom style. The main challenge to making that happen was that I hadn't really paid close enough attention to *how* to teach it. So when the opportunity came up for me to re-take the training class, I *JUMPED* on it!

Now I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out *where* I could do these kinds of classes and how I'd handle some of the logistics. Preferably, the students would be able to recline comfortably. Not having thousands of dollars to throw at a permanent facility with lots of comfy recliners, though, I have to look for a practical, affordable, portable alternative. So I can take my classroom with me wherever I go, be it The Crossings, or Sun City or a church Fellowship Hall somewhere or a rented hotel ballroom.

The option I've come up with is actually one I've thought about before: a reclining folding lounge chair. My friend Deanna had turned me onto this website called www.livingxl.com some time ago - they cater to the heavier individual - and sure enough, they had EXACTLY the chair I was looking for (http://www.livingxl.com/store/en_US/catalog/browse_sku.jsp?clear=true&catID=cat70187&prodId=X1413&id=cat70187), and it's rated up to 400 lbs! Right now, they're even on sale (regularly $119.95, now $109.95). Of course, I still don't have hundreds of dollars to throw at buying several chairs, so I'm going to have to figure this one out somehow... I'm planning to take whatever money I get from doing sessions and invest it back into my business. Once I get something like a minimum of 5 - 10 chairs, I can start doing classes (of course, then my challenge becomes how do I transport that many chairs - they fold up, but they still take up space!).

Meantime, I might go for something like this as an even less expensive alternative: http://www.makemeheal.com/mmh/product.do?id=10043&procid=39&catid=517

Ask And Ye Shall Receive...

Well, that's what they say, anyway...

This is hard for me to do, because I'm not very comfortable asking for this kind of help from people. But I'm doing it anyway, because this is something of great import to me. So here goes:

As most of you are aware, I am a Certified Hypnotist, and a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists. In order to maintain my certification, I, like many other professionals, have to have a certain number of Continuing Education credits every year. The NGH Annual Convention is coming up in just over a month, and is the *perfect* opportunity for me to get those credits AND learn from some of the best people in their fields. In particular, there are at least two or three two-day seminars either before or after the Convention that I am very keenly interested in attending (actually much more than the convention itself). One is a 4-day certification in Hypno-Birthing (which is actually what got me interested in hypnosis in the first place!), one is learning about Stage Hypnosis (which can be a very important part of a marketing strategy), and one is information on Marketing a successful hypnosis business (something I DESPERATELY need!!!). Not sure yet exactly which one(s) might still be available, but I should be able to find out tomorrow)...

Here's the hard part (for me). Being essentially out of work right now, I truly can't afford to attend even one of these seminars, or the convention, or the airfare to get there, or the hotel, etc... I don't *think* I know anybody able or willing to loan me that kind of money, either. But I hope I DO know LOTS of people who ARE able and willing to either A) lend me a small amount of money (anything from $1 up to whatever you're comfortable with), to be paid back as I am able (hopefully soon if I can start utilizing all I learn to create a successful hypnosis business), or B) purchase a generic pre-recorded hypnosis session or two (several subjects to choose from) for the modest sum of $5 for each subject or C) purchase a personalized recorded hypnosis session for the modest sum of $10 for each session or D) book a personal introductory 30-minute hypnosis session with me (for Central Texas folks) for the VERY modest sum of $20 (my regular fee is $75 per session, which lasts from an hour to an hour and a half).

I'm guessing that I'll probably need something close to $2000 to cover airfare, hotel and/or car rental (if I can, I'd like to stay with a friend in Boston, but will need to rent a car - if I can't stay with the friend, I'll need to get a hotel near the convention site), convention and seminar fees and food for a week.

So, friends and family, this is me, swallowing my pride and humbly holding out my metaphorical hat. If I can't / don't raise the necessary amount of money in time to participate in this particular training, I most certainly will utilize it for training as quickly as I possibly can (two of the two-day seminars I'm interested in are actually abbreviated versions of four-day seminars offered elsewhere by the same trainers for 3-4x the money - $1395 for the Stage Hypnosis training, $1221 for the Marketing training) and pay back every micro-loan in the order received as quickly as possible as well. If I miraculously receive MORE money than I need to cover my expenses for the week, I will immediately use the excess to start paying back loans in the order received.

Please send an email to: Tani@InnerPathwaysHypnosis.com with the following information (or with questions):
How much can you afford?
Is this a loan, or a purchase?
If a purchase, would you like a generic pre-recorded CD ($5), a personalized CD ($10) or a personal introductory hypnosis session ($20)?
I will respond with information on where to send the money and we will commence with arrangements to send you your recorded CD or when/where to meet for the personal session.

Thanks, everybody, in advance, for your faith in me!

Tani

Driving to a friends' house yesterday afternoon to take my kids to a sleepover, I passed the Riata apartment complex. I've spoken to folks before who have mentioned that they offer a wide variety of classes and programs and such to their residents, and I thought (not for the first time) that it might be a good venue for a Seventh Path(R) class. I'm also thinking of looking into Continuing Education classes with ACC and/or UT. Retirement Centers, and possibly Sun City would also be good venues for Self Hypnosis classes for groups.

I've finally found a part-time job, which should bring in a fairly reliable source of income. This will allow me to finally rent an office and start to market my business. I was looking at the Austin Woman magazine today, and plan to check out their advertising rates. I'm also considering becoming a contributing writer to some of the natural magazines found around town. I just have to figure out what to write about!

Now is the time to really get my website materials finalized...

Hypnosis FAQ (a work in progress)

I have been working today on the FAQ that will eventually end up on my website. I've looked for input from my friend Deanna, my sister, and anybody on Facebook who is interested in helping me. I've tried to think of all the various questions I've heard about hypnosis over the years. The one I haven't added yet (and might not, I'm not sure yet) is "Does Hypnosis Really Work?"

I'm hoping that I can have the FAQ finished within another day or two, then I can write my Services page.

Moving forward on the office situation

I got to look at Sabrina's office space yesterday afternoon, and I really like it! She's got a small suite of 3 rooms - a sort small waiting room, her office, and her massage room. She's decorated it quite nicely, and the location seems to be pretty quiet, even though it's very close to MoPac and 2222. The rent seems like it might be reasonable, too, although she hasn't gotten me the details yet. She's looking, ideally, for someone to rent the space for 3 days a week (Saturday, Thursday, and "one other day"). I'm not too excited about the thought of working on Saturdays on a regular basis, but this might be a good temporary situation for me.

I've also been talking with the mother of some of my kids' schoolmates, who is a Family Therapist, and she's looking to change her office situation as well. There might be a possibility of getting into at least a reciprocal networking situation with her, if not also a possibility of eventually sharing office spaces.

Progress on the website

My lovely and talented friend, Deanna, is helping me get my website content up and running. So far, I have re-written my biography info and started my blog. Next on the list of things to do is to write a page about my services and update a FAQ I was using from a different website.

I have an appointment to look at an office space tomorrow afternoon. My friend Sabrina, who is a Massage Therapist, is willing to rent out her office space. She's even willing, at this time, to rent to me on a per-client basis, at least until I can get enough clients to warrant a weekly or a monthly rent. Sabrina uses a folding massage table, which can be put out of the way while I'm working with a client. I've been thinking of a portable solution for my clients - a folding recliner chair (I've heard them called "zero-gee" chairs) - but wasn't certain if that might be either sturdy enough or comfortable enough for my heavier clients.

Deanna to the rescue once again! She turned me on to a website called www.livingxl.com. They have the chair design I was interested in, and it's rated up to 400 lbs. I'm pretty excited about that. Here's a link to it: http://www.livingxl.com/store/en_US/catalog/browse_sku.jsp?clear=true&catID=cat70187&prodId=X1413&id=cat70187 Of course, once I get into a real office, I will need to invest in real furniture, but meanwhile, this will be a suitable portable option, I think...

Hypnosis (and Self Hypnosis) With Kids

I wanted to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about hypnosis for kids. I can't say I have a great deal of experience with this segment of the population, but I have worked with a few kids, and generally speaking they are terrific subjects! The more imaginative they are (just as with adults), the better experience they're going to have. The coolest thing about kids is that they typically don't have any pre-conceived notions about what hypnosis is or is not - notions which, more often than not, limit adults.

I have done a little bit of work with my own children, but most notably I find that they are very responsive to the 7th Path system of Self Hypnosis. This system works within the individual's Mind/Body/Spirit framework, and consists of 9 Reflections. We do our Reflections each night at bedtime, and it really helps them settle into a calmer state of mind. Right now, I have given them 6 of the 9 Reflections, and they are asking me when I will give them the 7th. I love that!

My eldest has also reported that on occasion, when she gets upset at school, she'll start reciting her Reflections in her mind, and that it does help her calm down more quickly and easily when she does.

First Blog Post - or How I got from There to Here

While I am not new to personal Journaling, I am new to Blogging for my business.

2008 was a year of many changes for me, and found me going freelance with my hypnosis work. Positive Changes was a wonderful learning experience for me, and I will always be grateful for the opportunities I had there, but everything changed for me when Dave and Holley decided to sell the business. Nicholas had a very different vision for the business, and ultimately he parted ways with Positive Changes as well. I respected Nicholas and his desire to run the business his way, but our philosophies were not the same.

When I originally took my training with PCH in 2003, it seemed almost too easy - much of what I was given in my training materials were concepts and techniques that I was already familiar with. I received my certification, granted by the International Society of Psycholinguists (I believe this was a group run solely by Patrick, the founder of Positive Changes), and was told that with that certification, I could join the American Board of Hypnotherapy. I was not informed that I would need ongoing training to maintain that certification, nor was I encouraged to seek out further training. On my own, I read as much as I could from sources outside of PCH, in addition to meeting regularly with my co-workers.

From the very beginning, I knew that one day I would want to strike out on my own - little did I know it would take me 5 years to do so! I also knew that I wanted to become the very best hypnotist that I could possibly be. I noticed that while some of my clients responded very well to hypnotic suggestion, most did not have the kind of success that I knew hypnosis could give them. The more this happened, the more I became convinced that this was a problem in the hypnotic techniques I was using - NOT a problem with any of the clients. I simply did not know enough to give them the help they wanted and needed.

Early in 2008, I started looking into advanced training. At the same time, Nicholas was making plans to move the office into South Austin - tripling my daily commute. The client base was shrinking, too, and I had less and less to do. I knew my days with PCH were numbered, one way or another.

I found the methodology I wanted to learn - 5 PATH hypnosis, and found a training center in Dallas. In three 3-day weekends, I could get advanced training, and my certification would be recognized by the National Guild of Hypnotists - the oldest, largest, and most well-respected hypnosis organization in the world. Sadly, the trainer I wanted to learn from did not receive her State certification in time, so my training was postponed another two months. Happily, though, I ended up taking the training directly from the gentleman who developed 5 PATH. I was able to attend this training in an interactive online setting - 10 hours a day for 10 days - so I didn't have to leave my family (or pay for travel, food and accommodations - a HUGE bonus!).

The things I learned in this two-week course absolutely changed the way I looked at hypnosis. I always knew it was a powerful tool, but I had NO idea how to use it properly! I couldn't wait to start using this amazing information. The only thing I was missing was clients. Okay, and an office.

I left Positive Changes for good in late June of 2008. I started my training in early July. During the time I was in training, a new opportunity came along for me. I was asked to partner with a new company - Austin Health and Wellness Architects. I was given a furnished office to work from, and things were looking up. I got in touch with some former clients who had become disillusioned with the program at PCH, and we started working together with tremendous success. Sadly, AHWA did not manage to attract enough clients, and the doors closed in early October. I was left without an office once more. Even though my hypnosis business was slowing down, my music kept me really busy in the last months of 2008.

2009 has found me with a renewed enthusiasm for building my business. My sister, Teresa Barr-Jones, is my web designer. My friend Deanna Goodson is helping me with web content and marketing ideas. Another friend, who is a massage therapist, is looking to share office space until I can find more permanent digs and get them furnished. I'm reaching out to more former clients, working to attract new clients, and I'm hoping to become a Certified Professional Hypnosis Instructor by the end of the year. This stuff is just too good not to share!