Meet Ingrid.
The business coach whose book works anytime, anywhere – even when she’s sleeping!
'I was mostly Sydney based and I knew
I had a bigger gift and could have a much bigger impact on far more people.'
Ingrid Thompson is the founder of Healthy Numbers – a training, coaching and consulting business that helps people start and grow their own businesses. When Ingrid contacted Grammar Factory, she had been in business for about 12 years and was reasonably successful with great clients and a lot of interesting work.
'My struggle was that it was just me – if I wasn’t doing the work, there was no business. My other concern was that I knew I could help more people and while I was using Skype, I was mostly Sydney based. I knew I had a bigger gift and could have a much bigger impact on far more people.'
Ingrid started looking for a way to make the business work when she wasn’t actually onsite, and this search inspired her to write a book.
So You Want to Start a Business is the culmination of 30+ years of knowledge, skills and experience all in one place. Targeted at aspiring and new small business owners, So You Want to Start a Business takes readers through the seven essential elements required to create a thriving business. Full of examples, exercises and invaluable guidance, this book is the practical guide to unleashing your inner entrepreneur.
For Ingrid, her book also worked as a mini-Ingrid, which could share her knowledge anywhere, at any time, without her having to constantly be involved.
'This book can do my work anywhere in the world any time of the day. Along with the templates and worksheets, this book stands alone for the reader who is thinking about creating, starting and growing their own business.'
'I nearly cried. It was stunning!'
Once Ingrid had committed, she wrote every day in December and January – even on Christmas day! Ingrid had mapped out her chapters in advance (using our Book Blueprint framework) and wrote the pieces that she wanted to on different days.
However, the challenge was protecting her 'writing time' from friends and family who wanted her to come and enjoy the holiday season. But she stayed with it... and in two months had a draft of her book ready for the Grammar Factory editing team!
'Surprise: I sent it to my editor and when she sent it back to me a few weeks later she sent me back this next version of my book – and I nearly cried. It was stunning! Everything that was clumsy now read really well. Sara worked her magic and made my manuscript so wonderful to read.'
After the editing process, Ingrid then got a traditional publishing deal with Morgan James Publishing, our New York publishing partner.
'The book is beautiful. I chose a textured matte cover and it feels beautiful and the colour looks fabulous. The real bonus for me and this is very personal. My mum was in hospital in Brisbane and I had been back and forth from Sydney. The books arrived and of course I couldn’t wait to show my mum – she has always been my biggest fan – and I was able to give her a copy before she passed away.'
Traffic is up 35% month on month
Ingrid has treated her launch as an ongoing process, rather than a one-off event. She has held events, book readings, online promotions and more. She also invites herself onto other people’s podcasts to reach more of her target readers.
And did it achieve her goal of sharing her knowledge with a wider audience? Absolutely! Her website traffic is up by 35% month on month, her podcast, So You Want to Start a Business, now has thousands of listeners instead of hundreds, her newsletter subscribers have doubled and she now sees attendance for her online trainings doubling every session.
'Now the book is out there doing its work and people say to me “Ingrid, it’s like having you right here beside me helping with everything I need to do.” It feels wonderful to be able to help people understand what’s involved in getting started in a business of their own.'
The end result? So You Want to Start a Business positions Ingrid as an authority in the 'starting a business' space. In a very crowded niche, it helps set her apart from other business coaches as a leading educator and teacher.
Do you want to have a book that will share your knowledge and sell your services, even while you sleep?
Get started with our ultimate book writing guide!
If you’re ready to establish yourself as an industry authority and enjoy all of the perks that come with it, the check out our Ultimate Guide to Writing an Awesome Book!
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