Hi. My name is Mayi Carles (in case you haven't been paying too much attention) + I have superpowers. Well at least one that I've officially detected. My superpower is that I have the ability to make people happy using my bubbly personality + semi-contagious smile. Pow!

Wow, did you feel that pixie?

But it doesn't stop there. Upon discovering my super human capabilities, I started noticing I could change the world by simply injecting more joy + laughter into the lives of others, which in turn empowers them (and by them I mean YOU) to fulfill their gifts, rockstar style. 

And wait, it gets better. Happiness, the ability to produce it + pass it on to others is at your disposal too. Yes it is. And because I'm part of the good league of extraordinary supers, not those dark force villains with ugly outfits, I'm going to share with you my happy magic pill. 

No way!

Yes way my friend! I'm doing it cuz I know how much awesomer you shine when you're filled with happiness.

I know. I know. I'm typically not an advocate for sexy pills or "the one thing" formulas, but this time around I'm daring to make an exception.

Just a little tiny heads up: I might have gone a little tiny bit too far with this one. Haa! You've been warned.

spoiler alert

Stop reading if you haven't watched today's video yet. There are serious spoilers below. Ok, that being said, here are the links to the goodies recommended inside:

- Billy Blanks

- Insanity

- Liz DiAlto

- Lululemon

- Life is Messy Planners

Enjoy!

xo,

Mayi Carles

Music Credits

Florence and The Machine + The xx + Daddy Yankee 

With Valentine's Day in the immediate horizon, heartmade couldn't keep the excitement under control + decided to start the love fest one day early. I don't blame my little blog, cuz I understand Valentine's is its favorite holiday EVER. I know, I don't understand it either, Halloween should be everybody's number one.

But anyhoo, to celebrate the occasion, we've decided to run a sweet Valentine's Day special that's even better than heart shaped chocolates wrapped in pink aluminum foil - it's a BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE SALE. Oh yes, we did!

And by we, I really mean me, of course + my blog as well. There's no "i" in heartmade.

So, for the next 48 hours, you'll be able to buy one Life is Messy Bootcamp product (the Life is Messy Planners or the Life is Messy Bootcamp) + get another one on da' house, so you can give away to a special someone, cuz giving is a beautiful thing. And if while you're at it you're organizing your messy life + making room for your your big ideas, then bring it on baby!

Order in the next 48 hours + I will e-mail you back a gift card for your very special Valentine's to redeem on V-Day. Pretty sweet, eh? Told you this was better than chocolates!

But hurry, offer ends February 14 at midnight + this might be your last chance to get a hold of my Life is Messy Bootcamp offerings with a special. 

Think about it. You can give this to a friend you really care about or give this to your daughter or mama. You can organize a giveaway on your blog + gift this to a lucky reader. Heck, you can even buddy up with a colleague + split the cost of the investment. As long as you're spreading the love + being kind, you can pretty much do whatever you please. 

Amen Saint Valentin!

xo,

Mayi Carles

PS: And just in case that wasn't enough steam to rock your love boat, let me just say this: Life is Messy Bootcamp officially kickstarts this Wednesday, February 15, as in one day after Valentine's. Seriously now, if that's not cosmic synchronicity I dunno what is.

Our creative hearts have no shortage when it comes to idea generation.

Our problem is never lack of innovation or light bulb moments, but rather our inability focus + act upon + follow through. That's idea overload, often symptomized as decision paralysis. It's ugly, isn't it?
is. 

So, if your struggling in the "get stuff done" department or simply want to get MORE done in less time, you'll L-O-V-E the 3 tips I'm sharing with you today on how to turn your ideas into action.

And on that note, I'll distract you no more superstar. Hit play cuz it's Friday Video Time!

ready, set, go!

Alright party people, so before you go, please make sure to share in the comments below what's the ONE thing you will do immediately after hoping out of this page to make room for your BIG ideas.

I know you have a gazillion ideas, but this time I really want you to FOCUS. Focus on that ONE BIG idea first + share it + let it simmer + party with it + embrace it fully + start a fire. It's action time baby!

xo,

Mayi Carles

Want to know the most influential piece of marketing for your business? It’s your story.

I recently re-launched ARTrepreneur, a membership site for creatives, and something very interesting happened. The biggest spike in enrollments occurred when people watched this video where I told my story.

I talked about why I do what I do and what inspired me to take this path. My readers and newsletter subscribers connected to my story. People who were already thinking about purchasing became even more engaged and ready to enroll. 

Why you need to tell your story.

“Human minds rely on stories and story architecture as the primary road map for understanding, making sense of, remembering, and planning our lives—as well as the countless experiences and narratives we encounter along the way.” – Kendall Haven via Blake Mycoskie, Start Something That Matter.

Stories are how we’ve always passed on information. People are much more likely to remember a story than facts. They’re also more likely to be swayed by a story than facts.

Want proof? Researchers at Carnegie Melon University proved this theory with an experiment where they gave students five dollars for participating in a study. At the end, when the students received the money, they were given one of two letters asking them to donate some of the money to Save the Children.

One of the letters included facts. One of the letters told a story about a poor seven-year-old Malawian girl named Rokia. The students who got the letter with the facts donated an average of $1.14. The students who got the letter with the story donated an average of $2.38—more than double! 

People will tell others your story.

If your fans and customers connect to your story, they’ll tell it to their friends and family. That’s free marketing for you.

Remember the last time you recommended a product or service to someone? Did it involve a story?

Whenever I recommend my doctor to someone, I tell them about the time that he spent forty-five minutes with me trying to figure out why I was having so much back pain. A doctor spending forty-five minutes with his patient? That’s practically unheard of here in the United States. We’re lucky if we get five minutes before being diagnosed and hurried out the door with a prescription.

Whenever I recommend the place I bought my wedding dress, I tell the story of how I found my dress at a non-profit bridal boutique that benefits education for New York City children.

Whenever I recommend using lavender aromatherapy to help soothe doggie separation anxiety, I tell the story of how my dog used to chew up things like a Christmas present for my parents that took me over ten hours to make and brand new running shoes when I would leave the house. When I use lavender aromatherapy, he’s much calmer—and the chewing has stopped

As you can see, there’s almost always a story. 

The media likes a good story.

Want your products or services to be featured in your local newspaper, in a wide-spread magazine, or on Good Morning America? Then, you need to have a good story. That’s what they’re looking for.

This doesn’t mean that you make something up. People will figure out that you’re lying and your reputation will be ruined. Don’t lie. Instead, take the truth and put it together so that it’s interesting.

When I told my story on my blog, I could have included a lot more information, but I picked specific pieces of information to include and discard. It would be WAY too long otherwise. 

What are you waiting for? Go tell your story.

April Bowles-Olin

April Bowles-Olin helps creative entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality through her website, Blacksburg Belle, where she writes about marketing, blogging, and increasing business success. She uses her background in psychology to help creatives reach their goals, take charge of their inner critic, and build businesses around their dream lifestyles.

Image Credit

Faded Memories by Simplyhue via Society6

TGIFVT - Thank God It's Friday Video Time!

Phew! I literally wait all week for today.

OK, so before we roll up our sleeves, I wanted to share with you something funny that happened early in the week. I received this e-mail from a reader asking me how I was able to come across like I was having a blast in front of the camera. The answer is pretty simple + requires no acting classes - it's called "actually having fun" - the for realz type.

I really am having this much fun making these videos for you. So much so, that on the day's I'm filming I can skip my Pilates DVD's, cuz my ab workout is taken care of with my self-induced hyena laughter.

But to be quite honest, not everything I do is fun + games. And that's actually a good thing.

In today's episode, I'm talking about the power of delayed gratification - the behavioral attribute that differentiates dreamers from doers + talkers from makers + wishers from world-changers; and the research to support it.

Hit play to get the full scoop.

And before you go, please gimme your feedback in the comments below for the cherry on top of the Red Velvet cupcake.

See you in comment land.

xo,

Mayi Carles

PS: If you have a friend + loved one + client + colleague + pet who could really benefit from watching this video, please help me spread the word. Huge virtual Panda hug in advance for your support.

Our magical wedding video finally arrived!

I can't even count how many times we've watched it already. And of course, I've cried every single time. It's impossible not to.

Today, I wanted to share with you this little glimpse inside my eternal happiness, cuz I have a feeling it will make your heart twinkle + I'm all about twinkling. 

I would just grab a hanky before watching if I were you. Just in case. You never know.

Now, I'll let the film do it's thing. It's time for me to hit replay, yet again.

xo,

Mayi Carles

Want to get hundreds of clicks but no sales?

Want to create the BEST products on the face of the Earth + keep them all to yourself?

Want to learn everything their is to know about SEO + still have no conversions?

Want your thousands of Twitter + Facebook followers to remain fans + never spend a single penny on you?

Want your business to be worth a pile of lizard poop?

Sounds ridiculous right? Well that's cuz it is.

Today, I'm going to tell you exactly why your best efforts are not converting prospects into customer.

Here's the thing. Successful online entrepreneurs know something about selling their products that unsuccessful entrepreneurs don't + it has nothing to do with talent or luck. I'm dead serious.

I learned this early on in the Communications Studies hall. Who knew my dual degree would come in handy now. Wohoo!

I'm talking about sales pages - you know the one's that make you money? The truth is: you can either craft an irresistible sales page or land yourself in a stinking pickle. The choice is always yours.

If you want to learn the six steps to sales page chaos, by all means watch today's Friday Video Time episode. This one's a fun one!

After playing, join me down below for our usual chat. You know I love it when you raise your hand (wink).

xo,

Mayi Carles

When I was brainstorming ways to make my Life is Messy Bootcamp the best organizational program out there for messy entrepreneurs (and obsessive compulsive organizers alike), I knew I wanted to provide more than just a digital extravaganza.

Mickey Mouse gives me a towel when I return on the Disney cruise ship.

Marie Forleo + Laura Roeder sent me a cool coffee mug when I join B-School.

Northwestern, my alma mater, sends me "Go Wildcats" hot purple shorts.

That's when the light bulb moment clicked + I came up with the idea of gifting all my awesome customers these hand-painted Life is Messy To-Do Notepads. Cuz seriously who doesn't love getting presents in the mail, right? In this digital age it sure feels good to hold something in your hands, doesn't it?

That's why, today I'm so so freaking excited to be shipping out my first batch of notepads to my Bootcampers from all around the world - from Brazil to Germany + from Japan to United Kingdom + from Singapore to Colombia + from the United States to Ireland + from Portugal to Canada + from Cyprus to Australia. I'm literally going to hug the mail lady today!

Now I know just how happy Santa Claus feels on Christmas Eve.

Anyhoo, this got me thinking, what are you doing to add your magical pixie to your offerings + blow your clients off their feet? What does this gesture say about who you are + what you do + why it matters? I'm curious + so interested!

xo,

Mayi Carles

I see a lot websites for a living + I'm often horrified by what I find + also what I can't find. That's why I finally decided to have the dreaded sidebar talk with you. Cue in the horror music!

So I've noticed that you are way too creative when it comes to filling up your sidebar with noise. That's just gotta stop.

The thing is, if you're running an online business, you really can't afford to let your website slack off. Your success is directly linked to your website's success. So, if you want to make it in the big leagues, you have to get your website in good shape.

But don't worry it ain't as rocket science as it seems. I'm here to help!

In today's Friday Video Time episode I'm unveiling the worst 3 mistakes I see most people make + giving you actionable ways to fix em'. 

Let's turbo-charge those sidebars! This is the year we clean up all the clutter!

Oh + but before you go, don't forget to share your thumbs up + thumbs down sidebar features. I'm sure all those website revampers listening in will be oh so thankful. Helping is a beautiful thing.

Now, if you want to reclaim more than just your website's sidebar, come on over to Life is Messy Bootcamp where a bunch of us are cleaning up our act + making room for epic.

Hope to see your there!

xo,

Mayi Carles

It's been a while since my last DIY project. So I decided to make a grand come back with this DIY Cake Stand tutorial, which I literally use every time I have a cupcake party. That's why I secretly call it the DIY Cupcake Stand tutorial.

It literally cost me $3 to make + it looks so pretty + decorative.

materials

Wanna make it? Piece of cake (pun intended). All you need is:

step by step

Step 1: Eliminate the top part of the candelabrum. You won't be needing that part.

Step 2: Glue the top part of the candelabrum + attach the plastic plate perfectly in the center for balance.

Step 3: In a safe outdoors location, spray paint the entire project for an even finish. Now, don't come too close with the spray paint or else the paint will drip. I recommend to spray 1 meter or so away from the project.

Step 4: Let it dry for 30 minutes.

Step 5: Flip project + re-paint to cover every little corner.

Step 6: Let dry for 30 minutes.

Step 7: Repeat spray painting process until the surface of the cake stand looks uniform + well coated.

safety tip

When taking out your cake stand creation for a spin, I recomend, for safety, to never place food directly on the surface. You can use dollies or keep your cupcakes in their paper cups like seen below.

decorative tip

If you want to wow your guest at your next party, I suggest making these with different candelabrum shapes + heights + diverse paint colors. The result is a symphony of cake stand heaven. I pinky promise. Give it a try.

What do you think? You can definitively try this at home right? I thought so too!

Let me know how it goes. Bonus points for sending me pictures. I love pictures.

Ohhh + don't forget to visit the rest of my Tutorial Gallery for more creative inspiration. See you there!

xo,

Mayi Carles