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Amy Hutto: Welcome to So Tell Me What You Do.

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Amy Hutto: I'm Amy Hutto, a productivity coach who takes the friction out of work for independent small business owners.

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Amy Hutto: If we talked, you'd know instantly that what I love most is learning all about other people's work.

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Amy Hutto: So join me as we talk to a different small business owner, entrepreneur, nonprofit leader, or creative each week, so they can tell me and you what they do.

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Amy Hutto: This podcast represents the opinions of the speakers and guests to the show.

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Amy Hutto: The content should not be taken as advice, medical or otherwise.

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Amy Hutto: The content here is for informational purposes only.

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Amy Hutto: Because each person is so unique, please consult a healthcare professional for any medical questions.

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Amy Hutto: Hi, Danielle.

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Danielle Mendoza: Hi, Amy.

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Danielle Mendoza: Nice to see you.

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Amy Hutto: Would you like to introduce yourself?

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Danielle Mendoza: Sure.

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Danielle Mendoza: I'm Danielle Mendoza, and I am a bespoke book consultant.

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Amy Hutto: So, Danielle.

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Amy Hutto: So what does a bespoke book consultant do?

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Danielle Mendoza: So from the higher level view, I am helping business owners and entrepreneurs write a book to elevate their personal brand and expand their impact and bring more people into their business.

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Danielle Mendoza: But what that actually looks like is helping people figure out the kind of like messy tangled string of ideas that's in their head that they often think are several different projects, when in fact, they go really well into one project.

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Danielle Mendoza: And from there, helping them to honestly overcome their fears.

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Danielle Mendoza: I think anytime we start something new, we get really, really afraid.

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Danielle Mendoza: And that's what happens to every single one of my authors, even though they're like seven figure business owners, they're like, I've never written a book before.

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Danielle Mendoza: And all of these things start to come up.

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Danielle Mendoza: So just guiding them through that process, reminding them of their own greatness and that their stories deserve to be told is really, really important.

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Danielle Mendoza: And then helping them figure out how to do that.

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Danielle Mendoza: How do we tell stories in an interesting way?

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Danielle Mendoza: How do we actually draw the reader into our experience in a way where they can connect with us?

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Danielle Mendoza: And it's not just us sitting there talking about ourselves to them, but actually inviting them into that experience.

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Danielle Mendoza: And for them to see themselves reflected in it, too, because we all have so much more in common than we think we do.

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Danielle Mendoza: You know, our details are different, but oftentimes the emotions we experience and some of the things we go to go through are very, very connected to what other human beings are experiencing and going through.

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Danielle Mendoza: So just working through that process, then figuring out how do we get it edited?

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Danielle Mendoza: How do we design the cover?

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Danielle Mendoza: How do we lay out the interior?

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Danielle Mendoza: How do we publish it to best seller?

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Danielle Mendoza: And then how do we actually use that book to help grow the business?

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Danielle Mendoza: How are we leveraging it going forward?

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Danielle Mendoza: So that's kind of like the mid level view, but the nitty gritty day to day sitting in my office corner of my bedroom view is I talk a lot.

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Danielle Mendoza: I do a lot of talking.

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Danielle Mendoza: Like it's so it's not something I really ever thought about before until I started having some struggles with my voice and I hired a vocal coach.

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Danielle Mendoza: And she's like, Oh, yeah, you're a vocal athlete.

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Danielle Mendoza: And I was like, I don't sing.

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Danielle Mendoza: I'm not like on stage acting or speaking.

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Danielle Mendoza: She's like, No, how much time every day do you spend talking?

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Danielle Mendoza: And I was like, Oh, yeah, like all day because I do podcast interviews like this.

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Danielle Mendoza: I have client calls.

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Danielle Mendoza: I have prospective client calls.

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Danielle Mendoza: I do videos at, you know, all the things.

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Danielle Mendoza: And as someone who used to get talks too much on their report card, I'm really pleased to say that it's now being used as my superpower.

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Danielle Mendoza: So that's something that I enjoy very much being able to reflect on for sure.

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Danielle Mendoza: And just really reaching out to people, building relationships with people.

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Danielle Mendoza: I think that's what any business owner does in their day to day experience of work.

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Danielle Mendoza: Marketing is all about relationships.

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Danielle Mendoza: So how and where are we building those relationships and figuring out, kind of playing out the experiment of figuring out where do we need to actually be to build those relationships with the right people and how does that look and how does that work for us?

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Danielle Mendoza: And then the sales part is just that invitation saying, hey, this is what you want.

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Danielle Mendoza: If you're like, I've had this book idea in my heart for five years and I know it's time, then I make the invitation to say, okay, I'd love to work with you on that.

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Danielle Mendoza: We align in these ways and I know I can help you.

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Danielle Mendoza: And just inviting them in and respecting it as a request and not a demand.

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Danielle Mendoza: So if they say no, or if they're not aligned with it, that's okay.

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Danielle Mendoza: That's definitely something that is up to them.

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Danielle Mendoza: That's their autonomy.

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Danielle Mendoza: And so just respecting that in the sales process and then moving into stellar client service, really being of service to people, I think, through all aspects of it in the marketing, in the sales, as well as in the client service side, just showing up and providing value to people.

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Amy Hutto: So Danielle, getting down from the mid-level view to the nitty-gritty, if I'm a client dreaming of writing a book or maybe sick to my stomach over the idea of writing a book, and I come to you, what does my process look like from start to finish?

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Danielle Mendoza: So the very first thing we're going to do is give you what I call the Author's Welcome Kit.

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Danielle Mendoza: And it is a journaling exercise where you sit down and you spend about an hour or two going through this booklet and answering tons of questions.

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Danielle Mendoza: And by the end of the booklet, you've got the rough outline for your book.

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Danielle Mendoza: It's a pretty amazing process.

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Danielle Mendoza: I developed it early on, and I find that every single time it allows people to really narrow their focus, I guess, so to speak, and to tie that messy string of ideas together into one cohesive idea for a book.

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Danielle Mendoza: And then from there, you and I would get on a call, and it's a 90-minute call that we kick off with, and we go through that entire welcome kit together.

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Danielle Mendoza: And we make sure that everything aligns the way it needs to align, and everything builds, I think of it kind of like dominoes with your book.

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Danielle Mendoza: We need to start with the first domino and knock that over so that it leads to the next one and to the next one.

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Danielle Mendoza: And by the end of the book, the person that you want to talk to knows what it is that you want them to know.

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Danielle Mendoza: And my role in that experience is really to act as a sounding board.

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Danielle Mendoza: I'm not there to tell you what to write or what not to write, because at the end of the day, you're the expert, like you're the one who knows what you do.

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Danielle Mendoza: You know your people better than I know your people.

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Danielle Mendoza: I'm just getting familiar with all of that through the process of working with you.

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Danielle Mendoza: But I have a real skill to act as a sounding board and reflect back to you what it is that I'm hearing and kind of take the varied things that come out of that process and put it into one really streamlined cohesive line.

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Amy Hutto: So that's the client eye view.

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Amy Hutto: How about the Danielle view?

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Amy Hutto: What does your day look like when you come into the office each day?

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Danielle Mendoza: So I always start with an hour of connecting with people.

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Danielle Mendoza: So that's posting on social media, engaging on social media, and then engaging in the DMs.

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Danielle Mendoza: I know a lot of people are like, Oh, the DMs, I don't want to be sold to there.

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Danielle Mendoza: And I get that.

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Danielle Mendoza: I get that.

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Danielle Mendoza: I get those messages too.

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Danielle Mendoza: And I'm like, oh, here we go again.

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Danielle Mendoza: But I'm looking to create real connection first and foremost.

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Danielle Mendoza: And it's never about closing the sale.

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Danielle Mendoza: It's always about figuring out how can we serve you?

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Danielle Mendoza: How can our agency show up?

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Danielle Mendoza: Maybe there's just some things you want to know about the publishing process.

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Danielle Mendoza: And you're like, hey, can you put this in your content?

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Danielle Mendoza: Those are great.

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Danielle Mendoza: Maybe it's just getting to know one another as entrepreneurs and saying like, hey, I see you're doing this awesome thing.

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Danielle Mendoza: I love your message.

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Danielle Mendoza: And I really align with this thing that you value.

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Danielle Mendoza: And it's just nice to meet people and get to know people because I am alone in this little corner of my room every single day.

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Danielle Mendoza: I don't have coworkers.

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Danielle Mendoza: I don't go to a big office building.

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Danielle Mendoza: So it's kind of like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, that that is the office building I can go to and kind of get to know other people who are working on their businesses.

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Danielle Mendoza: I like to explore the idea of collaboration.

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Danielle Mendoza: Like, how can we collaborate?

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Danielle Mendoza: Like me coming to your podcast, you know, I'd love to invite you to my Wisdom Wednesdays on LinkedIn.

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Danielle Mendoza: Like, how can we lift each other up?

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Danielle Mendoza: And that's where the real value is found.

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Danielle Mendoza: And then sometimes from there, people are like, yeah, I thought about writing a book.

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Danielle Mendoza: I find what you do so interesting.

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Danielle Mendoza: I'm curious about that.

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Danielle Mendoza: I want to do that.

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Danielle Mendoza: I want to know more.

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Danielle Mendoza: And then we can have that conversation.

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Danielle Mendoza: But it's never about driving that conversation from the very beginning, if that makes sense.

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Danielle Mendoza: So it's really just connecting with people first and foremost every single day.

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Danielle Mendoza: I review my calendar and say, like, okay, what are my meeting times here?

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Danielle Mendoza: What does that actually look like as far as my day goes and kind of get ready for that?

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Danielle Mendoza: Sometimes there's different documents or research or things I need to do before I meet with a client.

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Danielle Mendoza: And so I'll set that up.

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Danielle Mendoza: And then I always want to nail down, like, when is my lunchtime?

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Danielle Mendoza: Because it's not the same every day.

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Danielle Mendoza: It's always a little bit different.

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Danielle Mendoza: And then my husband works at home and my kids both homeschool.

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Danielle Mendoza: So we're all here.

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Danielle Mendoza: So I have to figure out, like, am I cooking lunch?

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Danielle Mendoza: Is one of them going to cook lunch?

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Danielle Mendoza: Who's kind of responsible for this and delegate that and figure out a time that works for everybody's schedule so that we can all kind of sit down and have a meal together.

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Danielle Mendoza: We really enjoy doing that.

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Danielle Mendoza: So it's just that kind of life stuff gets in the mix there.

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Danielle Mendoza: So I like to figure that out ahead of time based on my appointments.

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Danielle Mendoza: And then looking at what's my end of day?

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Danielle Mendoza: Like, what is the end of my day look like?

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Danielle Mendoza: What is the meeting that I'm ending with?

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Danielle Mendoza: What do I need to do after that meeting?

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Danielle Mendoza: Because sometimes those meetings require follow up.

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Danielle Mendoza: There might be deliverables for clients, or I just need to share the recording of the session with the person I had the call with, or I need to take some notes in my networking spreadsheets and those sorts of things.

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Danielle Mendoza: It just depends on what I end with.

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Danielle Mendoza: And then thinking about what's dinner?

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Danielle Mendoza: Is my daughter need a ride over to church this evening?

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Danielle Mendoza: Does my son have something going on?

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Danielle Mendoza: When can my husband and I actually connect and chat for the day?

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Danielle Mendoza: It's kind of funny because we're all here, but days go by where I'm like, I don't think I've talked to you this week.

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Danielle Mendoza: We haven't really had a full conversation outside of mealtimes and maybe just going to bed.

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Danielle Mendoza: So it's nice to think ahead in that way.

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Danielle Mendoza: And that's kind of the start of my day.

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Danielle Mendoza: And then I just walk all of that out.

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Danielle Mendoza: It helps me to be kind of organized in that way.

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Danielle Mendoza: But I do it day to day.

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Danielle Mendoza: I don't like to organize too far ahead or I start to feel trapped in my schedule.

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Danielle Mendoza: So it's just every day looking at what does today look like?

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Danielle Mendoza: How am I going to make it serve me and serve those around me?

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Amy Hutto: You made such a good point, which we often forget as small business owners.

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Amy Hutto: We don't have an office to go to, and that means we don't have a schedule that's separate from our real life schedule either.

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Amy Hutto: So we have to find a way to make them work with each other.

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Amy Hutto: So Danielle, tell me what made you start a business as a book consultant?

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Danielle Mendoza: So I have a business consultancy where I work with businesses who are usually in their first five years and help them with organic marketing and growth before they're ready to step into ad spend.

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Danielle Mendoza: And so I wrote a book.

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Danielle Mendoza: I saw in 2021 that lots of people were teaching this idea of manifestation in business.

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Danielle Mendoza: They were talking about visualizing, but I felt like there was a gap in the education there.

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Danielle Mendoza: I felt like they weren't giving the full picture.

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Danielle Mendoza: And I'd been practicing manifestation for about a decade at that point.

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Danielle Mendoza: I decided I really need to lean into my understanding and expertise of this and lay it out for those people who are coming to me kind of feeling like a failure because they tried it and it just didn't work and they felt like they did something wrong.

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Danielle Mendoza: And I learned it wasn't that they were doing anything wrong.

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Danielle Mendoza: They just didn't have the full picture of how to engage in the process of manifestation.

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Danielle Mendoza: So I wrote a book called Manifest Success, How to Transform Your Big Idea into a Business You Love, and it's gone phenomenally.

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Danielle Mendoza: It still sells to this day.

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Danielle Mendoza: People are still coming into my business consultancy through that book.

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Danielle Mendoza: It's still helping people better understand themselves and what they want, what kind of business they want, and how to actually manifest that type of success.

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Danielle Mendoza: And then I started networking more, and people would come to me and say, hey, I know this isn't what you do, but...

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Danielle Mendoza: And after about the fourth person, I was like, okay, okay, like, this can be a thing that I do.

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Danielle Mendoza: Clearly, there's a need here.

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Danielle Mendoza: It's something that people want to know more about, and it was serving a different niche because it was the higher level business owner.

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Danielle Mendoza: The ones who had all the business-y stuff figured out, but now they wanted to kind of start to separate themselves from the business brand and elevate more of their personal brand.

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Danielle Mendoza: And books are a great way to do that.

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Danielle Mendoza: And so I opened that consultancy midway through 2022, and it's been going great ever since.

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Amy Hutto: So you kind of got a nudge to get started when people were asking you to do this thing, but lots of people get asked for expertise and don't start another line of business.

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Amy Hutto: How did you know, yes, it's time?

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Danielle Mendoza: So the book consultancy for me is a full circle thing.

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Danielle Mendoza: I started a decade ago as a copywriter.

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Danielle Mendoza: I have a background in business management and marketing, and I was home with my kids, and I needed like honestly pocket money for Starbucks.

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Danielle Mendoza: I guess we had a very strict family budget at the time.

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Danielle Mendoza: And I was like, but I want to be able to like do my thing too, as I take the kids out in the world.

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Danielle Mendoza: So I started ghostwriting and copywriting and writing blogs and website copy and those sorts of things online.

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Danielle Mendoza: And in 2013, that was kind of the early days of working online.

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Danielle Mendoza: It was still a newer thing to be able to really fully do that.

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Danielle Mendoza: And I discovered this whole world of online business that I had no clue even existed.

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Danielle Mendoza: And back then, it was mostly blogs.

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Danielle Mendoza: So I ghost wrote a lot of blogs.

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Danielle Mendoza: I did ghostwriting for like cooking blogs for different mommy bloggers and things like that because I love to cook.

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Danielle Mendoza: It's a big passion of mine.

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Danielle Mendoza: And from there, I then moved into more business strategy.

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Danielle Mendoza: And I started working with other brands on strategy and consulting and kind of shifted away from the writing and started focusing more on that strategy and planning.

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Danielle Mendoza: And then after my consultancy was going well, and I wrote that book, I realized there was a need to really understand how do we write in a way that serves people?

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Danielle Mendoza: How do we write for marketing without being salesy in our marketing, without reading like it's a flyer that's come in the mail, you know, like inviting people down to the car dealership for the latest sale.

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Danielle Mendoza: And so I started honing that and I realized that working on books with these business people was a really unique way to bring my entire history.

00:15:02.163 --> 00:15:07.063

Danielle Mendoza: Even before I was in business, I was writing for theatrical productions.

00:15:07.583 --> 00:15:10.843

Danielle Mendoza: I went to the California State Summer School for creative writing.

00:15:10.843 --> 00:15:24.363

Danielle Mendoza: So it's been a passion of mine for a long time, and that was a way to couple it with the idea of marketing and business strategy and serve with all of my talents in kind of one golden opportunity to help people.

00:15:25.003 --> 00:15:28.903

Amy Hutto: What do you love most about helping people write their books?

00:15:29.023 --> 00:15:31.023

Danielle Mendoza: I love how varied it is.

00:15:31.123 --> 00:15:39.243

Danielle Mendoza: So variety is one of my top values, and the idea of doing one thing for the rest of my life makes me want to gag.

00:15:39.263 --> 00:15:42.183

Danielle Mendoza: Like I just I'm not that person for some people.

00:15:42.203 --> 00:15:42.903

Danielle Mendoza: That's their jam.

00:15:42.923 --> 00:15:48.083

Danielle Mendoza: And they're like, I know that I am a weight loss coach and that drives me and I love it, right?

00:15:48.103 --> 00:15:48.883

Danielle Mendoza: That's their joy.

00:15:48.903 --> 00:15:53.843

Danielle Mendoza: The idea of like I am this and it's just one thing for the rest of my life.

00:15:54.043 --> 00:15:56.983

Danielle Mendoza: One type of information, one type of client.

00:15:57.563 --> 00:15:58.603

Danielle Mendoza: I just can't do it.

00:15:58.603 --> 00:16:00.743

Danielle Mendoza: Like it just doesn't fit my personality.

00:16:00.763 --> 00:16:21.163

Danielle Mendoza: So working in business and working in books allows me to really step into so many different industries, so many different types of expertise and help serve so many different audiences as well because every time I'm helping an author write their book, I'm creating that ripple effect, right?

00:16:21.183 --> 00:16:28.783

Danielle Mendoza: So there it's helping them, but then they're helping so many people and then those people will go on to help people as well.

00:16:29.183 --> 00:16:35.403

Danielle Mendoza: And it's this beautiful thing that just kind of expands outwardly and it never is boring ever.

00:16:35.563 --> 00:16:37.123

Danielle Mendoza: So I love it a lot.

00:16:37.163 --> 00:16:44.903

Danielle Mendoza: And I love encouraging people to share their stories and to create this legacy piece because books are about legacy.

00:16:44.943 --> 00:16:50.463

Danielle Mendoza: One day when you and I are gone, our books will be here in this world.

00:16:50.483 --> 00:16:51.503

Danielle Mendoza: They'll be on the shelf.

00:16:51.523 --> 00:16:53.343

Danielle Mendoza: They'll be passed around amongst friends.

00:16:53.363 --> 00:16:54.683

Danielle Mendoza: They'll be in libraries.

00:16:54.883 --> 00:17:00.943

Danielle Mendoza: And it's something that can continue to serve people from this unique place of genius that each of us has.

00:17:01.643 --> 00:17:04.283

Danielle Mendoza: But if we don't write the book, it's not there.

00:17:04.463 --> 00:17:06.283

Danielle Mendoza: It's not available to people.

00:17:06.303 --> 00:17:07.843

Danielle Mendoza: So once we're gone, we're gone.

00:17:08.023 --> 00:17:09.803

Danielle Mendoza: And our genius is gone with us.

00:17:10.123 --> 00:17:11.763

Danielle Mendoza: And I don't want to see that happen.

00:17:11.783 --> 00:17:20.223

Danielle Mendoza: So it's really heartwarming to me to help people kind of walk that out now so that one day when they're gone, that piece of them is left behind.

00:17:20.803 --> 00:17:26.503

Amy Hutto: What is the one thing you wish you could get your client base to understand about the work you do together?

00:17:26.563 --> 00:17:27.803

Danielle Mendoza: That is such a good question.

00:17:27.903 --> 00:17:29.243

Danielle Mendoza: I feel like there's several things.

00:17:29.263 --> 00:17:41.023

Danielle Mendoza: But one really important thing I think is understanding that they don't have to be a writer to write an excellent book that serves people.

00:17:41.503 --> 00:17:44.103

Danielle Mendoza: So that is one of the biggest things I hear from people.

00:17:44.143 --> 00:17:45.943

Danielle Mendoza: They're like, I can never write a book.

00:17:46.043 --> 00:17:46.883

Danielle Mendoza: I'm not a writer.

00:17:46.903 --> 00:17:53.183

Danielle Mendoza: And I think if you were a writer, you'd be writing books already because that would be your expertise.

00:17:53.183 --> 00:17:56.303

Danielle Mendoza: But your zone of genius is something else, right?

00:17:56.383 --> 00:18:03.683

Danielle Mendoza: So that weight loss coach example, their zone of genius is nutrition and movement and serving people on their weight loss journey.

00:18:04.023 --> 00:18:06.523

Danielle Mendoza: So they don't need to be an expert at writing.

00:18:06.623 --> 00:18:08.743

Danielle Mendoza: They just need to know what they want to say.

00:18:09.223 --> 00:18:15.163

Danielle Mendoza: And I help them organize those thoughts and those things to say so that they can flesh out a book.

00:18:15.223 --> 00:18:20.323

Danielle Mendoza: And then from there, our editors help them to co-create a really beautiful product.

00:18:20.823 --> 00:18:26.803

Danielle Mendoza: So I think we all carry a little bit of what I call school essay syndrome, where we're so nervous.

00:18:26.823 --> 00:18:33.363

Danielle Mendoza: We want to make sure the first draft of anything is as good as it can possibly be and that we're going to be graded.

00:18:33.403 --> 00:18:35.323

Danielle Mendoza: But that's just not the case with books.

00:18:35.363 --> 00:18:40.263

Danielle Mendoza: We are co-creating something with our editors, with book coaches.

00:18:40.283 --> 00:18:47.523

Danielle Mendoza: We're co-creating this beautiful product that will come out at the end, where you can open it up and read it and you're like, I said that?

00:18:47.843 --> 00:18:55.283

Danielle Mendoza: Wow, like that's amazing, you know, and you'll see these things come to life in a whole different way than it ever would if you did it on your own.

00:18:55.803 --> 00:19:01.083

Amy Hutto: So as you go through the process, what's the challenge you run up against time and again?

00:19:01.123 --> 00:19:03.583

Danielle Mendoza: That I run up against or my clients run up against?

00:19:04.623 --> 00:19:05.503

Amy Hutto: Oh, I'll take either.

00:19:06.323 --> 00:19:23.823

Danielle Mendoza: I think for me, it's the constant learning process of learning my clients, learning their niche, learning their audience, and being able to help them stay focused, which I guess then leads into what their biggest challenge is, is that idea of focus.

00:19:23.843 --> 00:19:35.323

Danielle Mendoza: And it's not that they're not focused on writing, but it's that when they start to write, I think we all fall into this false presumption that anyone could pick up this book and start reading it.

00:19:35.543 --> 00:19:38.763

Danielle Mendoza: And so I have to write it to be palatable to everyone.

00:19:39.383 --> 00:19:45.783

Danielle Mendoza: And so we start wanting to explain things where our best audience would probably already understand those things.

00:19:46.283 --> 00:19:55.923

Danielle Mendoza: But we think of someone outside of that best fit audience and we start over explaining and we start kind of wanting to re-educate the whole pathway.

00:19:56.543 --> 00:20:01.923

Danielle Mendoza: And I have to help them focus and remind them that no, they are speaking to their best audience.

00:20:02.543 --> 00:20:12.983

Danielle Mendoza: If there are things that are confusing or off-putting to someone, that someone is not their best audience, and we actually want the book to repel as much as we want it to attract.

00:20:13.163 --> 00:20:28.883

Danielle Mendoza: So maintaining that focus and remembering who are we writing to, what are we really trying to accomplish here, and how can we stay on that course that we initially laid out so that we're not ending up with a book that is like 5,000 pages long.

00:20:29.803 --> 00:20:40.663

Amy Hutto: What are the moments when maybe you've had to explain this a couple of times or things have gotten a little hectic that lets you fall back in love with this work all over again?

00:20:41.143 --> 00:20:44.703

Danielle Mendoza: I love for books in general, and I have a love for stories.

00:20:45.243 --> 00:20:53.503

Danielle Mendoza: So it's remembering the stories that they've shared as we've been brainstorming and working through the process.

00:20:53.603 --> 00:21:00.543

Danielle Mendoza: I think often when we rabbit trail and try to over-educate and over-explain, we're focused on information.

00:21:00.563 --> 00:21:07.383

Danielle Mendoza: And so it's bringing people back to the idea of the relevancy and importance of their own stories.

00:21:08.423 --> 00:21:10.483

Danielle Mendoza: That's something that AI can't replicate.

00:21:10.923 --> 00:21:16.123

Danielle Mendoza: It's something that's unique to every single human being, and it's the one thing that actually connects us.

00:21:16.703 --> 00:21:19.883

Danielle Mendoza: Information is not of itself connective.

00:21:20.323 --> 00:21:28.043

Danielle Mendoza: Information is helpful, but oftentimes we don't even retain information unless there's something connective shared along with it.

00:21:28.623 --> 00:21:32.803

Danielle Mendoza: And so it's really important to remind the authors that their stories are what matters.

00:21:32.903 --> 00:21:42.503

Danielle Mendoza: And that's what brings joy to me is this idea of these stories being presented and helping someone out there who has had a very similar story.

00:21:42.523 --> 00:21:52.283

Danielle Mendoza: We all think we're kind of alone in our stories, in our struggles, in our journeys, but we find out when we publish a book that that's just not the case.

00:21:52.303 --> 00:21:54.683

Danielle Mendoza: I can't tell you how many people I've had reach out to me.

00:21:54.703 --> 00:22:04.943

Danielle Mendoza: I mean, once I was even on a podcast talking about like some of my family dynamics issues growing up and different things and this woman reached out to me and was like, I'm so glad you shared that.

00:22:04.963 --> 00:22:14.683

Danielle Mendoza: I have like almost the exact same journey and it was just so bizarre because I thought these details were incredibly unique and specific to me.

00:22:14.823 --> 00:22:18.563

Danielle Mendoza: And yet there are definitely other people out there going through the same thing.

00:22:18.943 --> 00:22:26.663

Danielle Mendoza: And so knowing that our stories are going to help them, if nothing else, just help them not feel alone and help them feel seen and understood.

00:22:26.683 --> 00:22:31.943

Danielle Mendoza: There's so much depth and value in that and that's what drives me endlessly.

00:22:31.963 --> 00:22:35.863

Amy Hutto: Who do you wish you could get to write a book with you?

00:22:35.883 --> 00:22:37.323

Danielle Mendoza: That is such a good question.

00:22:37.383 --> 00:22:38.123

Danielle Mendoza: Oh my gosh.

00:22:39.323 --> 00:22:47.643

Danielle Mendoza: So I love the idea of working with Kelly Roach to get her to write a book that shares more of her personal stories.

00:22:47.663 --> 00:22:53.563

Danielle Mendoza: She has several books that are super powerful, chock full of good information for business owners.

00:22:53.583 --> 00:22:55.243

Danielle Mendoza: They've brought me a lot of value.

00:22:55.703 --> 00:23:03.483

Danielle Mendoza: But every time she shares one of her more personal stories on social media or in a client call, I am so moved by them.

00:23:03.603 --> 00:23:09.663

Danielle Mendoza: And I know that that book would be incredibly powerful for people and create more of that connection.

00:23:09.683 --> 00:23:11.283

Danielle Mendoza: So I would love to work with her.

00:23:11.303 --> 00:23:12.583

Danielle Mendoza: So she's listening to this.

00:23:12.643 --> 00:23:14.063

Danielle Mendoza: Please let's work together.

00:23:14.083 --> 00:23:15.363

Danielle Mendoza: It will be an amazing journey.

00:23:15.383 --> 00:23:19.223

Amy Hutto: We'll make sure your contact information is there so that she can.

00:23:20.363 --> 00:23:28.263

Amy Hutto: Now that you have this book consultancy arm of your business, what's the biggest takeaway from helping people write their stories?

00:23:28.923 --> 00:23:33.903

Danielle Mendoza: It's knowing how to position those stories so that we feel comfortable sharing them.

00:23:34.363 --> 00:23:40.403

Danielle Mendoza: So oftentimes we don't share our personal stories because we don't want to show up in this me me me energy.

00:23:40.403 --> 00:23:42.643

Danielle Mendoza: We don't want to be out there.

00:23:42.743 --> 00:23:44.523

Danielle Mendoza: Like we're just talking about ourselves.

00:23:44.543 --> 00:23:45.483

Danielle Mendoza: We're like, look at me.

00:23:45.483 --> 00:23:46.303

Danielle Mendoza: Listen to me.

00:23:46.763 --> 00:23:57.503

Danielle Mendoza: But we know also on the other hand that showing up is how we serve people because no one can be served by us if they don't know we exist, if they don't interact with us.

00:23:57.983 --> 00:24:12.263

Danielle Mendoza: So being able to shift from the me me me version of storytelling, which is what we all learned is that like beginning, middle end storytelling process and shift it to the idea of context shift and implication.

00:24:12.303 --> 00:24:14.723

Danielle Mendoza: So what was the context of the story?

00:24:14.743 --> 00:24:26.083

Danielle Mendoza: What was happening in your life or in your heart and mind and sharing that in a way that really reflects those others who have the same kind of emotions and thoughts and experiences going on?

00:24:26.103 --> 00:24:28.063

Danielle Mendoza: And then what's the shift?

00:24:28.523 --> 00:24:37.003

Danielle Mendoza: What did you go through that gave you a new aha that led you to a new insight or mindset change or got you some transformation?

00:24:37.023 --> 00:24:39.263

Danielle Mendoza: And then what's the implication of that?

00:24:39.583 --> 00:24:49.443

Danielle Mendoza: What does that actually mean for your life, for your family, for your community and for the world going forward as you walk out this future as your new self?

00:24:50.083 --> 00:24:55.183

Danielle Mendoza: And what does that mean for your potential client or for the person who's listening to your story?

00:24:55.663 --> 00:25:03.523

Danielle Mendoza: If they can achieve this kind of transformation, mindset shift, insight, what is that going to mean for their future as well?

00:25:03.543 --> 00:25:08.143

Danielle Mendoza: And so it's this opportunity to paint a bright picture of what's possible for them.

00:25:08.663 --> 00:25:19.223

Danielle Mendoza: And because of that, they see themselves and they see their own possibility in that story and you're creating three-dimensional inspiration because you're inspiring them to an emotion.

00:25:19.743 --> 00:25:33.243

Danielle Mendoza: You're giving them an aspiration, a view of themselves in the future, and you're bringing them to that feeling of motivation, being willing to do what it takes to get that transformation so they can be that future person that they see.

00:25:33.783 --> 00:25:38.963

Danielle Mendoza: And when you have three-dimensional inspiration like that, now you've been of service.

00:25:39.063 --> 00:25:45.903

Danielle Mendoza: Now it's not just about you and what you went through, but it's about how it connects to them and guides them along their journey.

00:25:46.163 --> 00:26:01.923

Danielle Mendoza: So just being able to understand that can radically shift not only your confidence and ability to write a book, but your ability to tell those stories in podcast interviews, your ability to tell them in social media and emails in all of the ways that you connect with people.

00:26:02.463 --> 00:26:08.123

Amy Hutto: Danielle, if someone's listening and they're ready to take that journey with you, what's the best way to get in touch?

00:26:08.703 --> 00:26:23.963

Danielle Mendoza: Email me hello at confidentconcept.com or you can go to my website, confidentconcept.com, and I share a lot of resources as well as more about what's possible with a book in your business and what this journey can look like.

00:26:23.983 --> 00:26:27.783

Danielle Mendoza: There are ways to get in touch with me there, and I'm on all the social medias.

00:26:27.843 --> 00:26:32.903

Danielle Mendoza: I'm on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and as I mentioned, I love to chat in the DMs.

00:26:33.083 --> 00:26:33.743

Danielle Mendoza: It is me.

00:26:33.763 --> 00:26:39.783

Danielle Mendoza: It's not a team member, and I'm open to conversations of all kinds, whether you're ready to write a book or not.

00:26:40.403 --> 00:26:41.783

Amy Hutto: Thank you for being with me today.

00:26:42.803 --> 00:26:45.943

Danielle Mendoza: Thank you so much, Amy, for having me, and thanks everyone for listening.

00:26:50.363 --> 00:26:51.403

Amy Hutto: Thanks for joining us.

00:26:51.743 --> 00:26:55.563

Amy Hutto: If you felt inspired by what you heard today, please subscribe and leave a review.

00:26:55.583 --> 00:27:00.403

Amy Hutto: And if you haven't already, I encourage you to take that first step towards what you feel called to do.

00:27:00.963 --> 00:27:03.723

Amy Hutto: If you need some help gaining clarity on that vision, reach out.

00:27:04.083 --> 00:27:07.943

Amy Hutto: The world needs more people doing the thing they love most, and that includes you.

00:27:07.963 --> 00:27:08.063

Danielle Mendoza: Thank you.