Where in the world do you get showered in freezing cold water the minute you walk out of your hotel door, only to then be shot at by water guns, or drenched by bucket throwing revellers in the back of passing trucks?

This is not this weeks travel trivia, but what has actually been happening across Thailand this past week.

Sawadee Bee Mai my friend! This past week has been the Thai New Year (Songkran) and as such celebrations have taken to the streets where there are massive water fights all over the country!

Believed to wash away bad luck and sins from the previous year, what was once a gentle Buddhist tradition of lightly pouring water over the hands or shoulders of elders or family members has become a source of fun, community and water-soaked chaos!

See my Songkran video here.

Staying safe and dry, here’s what I have for you this week;

1. Travel Trivia - an underwater post office!?

2. Mini Mastery - How to use AI to help you choose your business niche

3. TWT - Blog Bites - How to start a life changing lifestyle business and more

4. Mindset Matters - The power of positive self-talk

5. That’s All Folks!

Travel Trivia!

In which country can you find a unique post office that's been operating underwater since 1939, providing mail service to waterproof postcards?

(answer at the bottom of the newsletter)

Mini Mastery - How to Use AI to Help You Choose Your Business Niche

When thinking about starting or growing a brand online, choosing our niche and target market frequently trips us up.

We’re told to do something we’re ‘passionate about’ and ‘know our target market intimately, including what books they read or podcasts they listen to!’.

While that may all be helpful, it usually results in overthinking, procrastination and a big brick wall to getting started or trying anything new.

If you’re struggling right now to pin down the kind of brand/business you want to build, or feel you need to nail down your target audience to grow faster, here are some things to consider and ways to use AI to help;

1. Stop Looking for Your ‘Passion’; Follow Your Curiosities

Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of “Eat Pray Love,” & another of my fave books ‘Big Magic‘ (well worth a read if you’re a creator), says;

By focusing on things you’re curious about and want to explore further yourself, who knows what passions you’ll incite in yourself and others.

What do you currently enjoy doing, talking about, learning about?

Maybe you’re immersing yourself in learning about Bitcoin right now, perhaps you’re going through the menopause, maybe it’s been a long time ambition to become a published author.

Any and all of those ideas can be turned into a profitable business online!

Here's a great prompt to explore your curiosities using AI:

I'm currently curious about [topic1], [topic2], and [topic3]. For each topic, can you provide an overview of the key trends, opportunities, and challenges in that space, and suggest a potential niche online business idea?

(An even simpler prompt is - I’m really interested in [topic], how could I turn that into a niche online business?)

2. Visualise the Type of People You Want to Chat to Online

Detailed customer avatars are helpful documents for huge corporations who are spending millions on advertising campaigns and need to know their audience down to the breakfast cereal they eat.

For the average solopreneur, we just need to know the type of person we want to network with online.

For example I want to chat with people who still play 80’s tunes on their car stereo, can talk about amazing destinations until the sun goes down and who want to live a long life with passion and purpose!

Who do you want to chat with?

Working out your target audience doesn’t have to be a scientific experiment. Just think about the type of person you want to be connecting with via your brand and then as you create content work out these three crucial questions;

1. What do they deeply believe in? (Their worldview)

2. What are their greatest desires?

3. What are their greatest fears/roadblocks?

The answers to those questions will help you create products and services that meet your audiences needs.

Use this AI prompt to better understand your target audience:

My ideal audience is [description of audience]. What are likely to be their core beliefs and worldview? Also what are likely to be their top 3 greatest desires and top 3 fears/roadblocks related to [your niche]?

3. Figure Out Your Brand Ideal

More important than what your audience eats for breakfast is the message behind your brand. If through your brand you can communicate a world view that resonates with your audience, you will draw the right people to you.

For example, Nike’s brand ideal is that everyone can be the best they can be if they ‘just do it’ - but they sell sports products. Dove’s brand ideal is that all women are beautiful no matter their shape, size, age, colour, creed etc - but they sell toiletry products. Redbull’s brand ideal is around risk-taking and extreme sports - but they sell an energy drink.

Your brand ideal is what you stand for. Your purpose, your mission if you will.

I talk about how to start an online business and travel the world and my audience are 50+ nomadic solopreneurs. My brand ideal is that adventure is timeless.

Once you determine your brand ideal it will shape the content you create, the language you use, your brand image and everything in between.

NB: This will likely evolve over time. Create content, chat with your target audience, notice what resonates and listen to feedback.

Try this prompt to help identify your brand ideal with AI:

I'm building a brand in the [your niche] space, targeting [your target audience]. I want to communicate a powerful message that encapsulates my brand's purpose and mission, similar to how Nike's brand ideal is about empowering everyone to be their best, Dove's is about celebrating all types of beauty, and Redbull's is about embracing risk-taking and extreme experiences. With these examples in mind, can you suggest 3 potential brand ideals that align with my niche and target audience, and explain why each one could be effective in resonating with my intended audience and guiding my brand's overall direction?

Stop Waiting for Inspiration to Strike

Clarity comes from action.

1. Start by writing down the top 3 things you're most curious about exploring right now. Use AI to help you research the topics and then choose one you’d love to immerse yourself in and start creating content around.

2. Describe the type of person you'd enjoy chatting with and connecting with online. Use AI to identify their worldview and their key desires and challenges? Start to think about how your content could inspire, entertain or educate them.

3. Brainstorm some potential brand ideals. What message do you want to share with the world? What do you stand for? How will you resonate with your target audience? Use AI to help you determine your brand ideal and direction.

Armed with this information take the first 3 steps I recommend taking no matter your business model;

1. Sign up to Beehiiv or Substack and start a weekly newsletter

2. Create a lead magnet/subscribe page

3. Pick a content platform (YouTube, FB, Blog, Podcast, IG etc) and start publishing consistent and valuable content, encouraging followers to subscribe to your newsletter

AI can help you with this also, here’s two prompts;

For lead magnet ideas;

I'm building a brand in the [your niche] space, targeting [your target audience]. To encourage my audience to sign up for my email list, I'd like to offer a valuable lead magnet. Can you suggest 3 potential lead magnet ideas that align with my niche and target audience's needs, desires, or pain points? For each idea, please explain why it would be effective in attracting subscribers.

For newsletter ideas;

I'm creating an email newsletter for my brand in the [your niche] space, targeting [your target audience]. To keep my subscribers engaged and looking forward to my emails, I want to deliver valuable content consistently. Can you suggest 5 newsletter topic ideas or themes that align with my niche and target audience's interests, desires, or challenges? For each idea, please provide a brief bulleted outline or a short summary of the key points to be covered.

Hope that helps! Choose your niche and get started today! 😎

TWT Blog Bites

I have just overhauled this mammoth article, which covers the 6 key steps to take to start an online lifestyle business, whether service based, ecommerce or in digital marketing. Well worth reading, bookmarking and following!

Even though I fully intend to launch my own physical travel journal to sell on my website, digital apps that help you plan, track, budget etc are very handy for travelling! Here are my top app recommendations;

This is a huge post of bucket list ideas, plus I run through how to quickly and easily start your own inspirational bucket list, which I highly recommend to keep you motivated on your journey!

Mindset Matters - The Power of Positive Self-Talk: Reprogramming Your Inner Dialogue

If you regularly find yourself saying things like;

• "I can't"

• "It's too difficult"

• "I'm overwhelmed"

• "I have no idea"

• "I'm too old"

• "Who's going to listen to me?" (One of my personal favourites)

You'll likely already know that negative self-talk seriously limits your capabilities and chances of success.

In his book "What to Say When You Talk to Yourself," Shad Helmstetter emphasizes the incredible power that positive self-talk has in shaping our mindset and, ultimately, our reality.

The words we use when we engage in inner dialogue can either hold us back or propel us forward.

Imagine if you could completely reframe anything you're currently afraid to do or believe 'you can't' to ‘I can and I will’!? What incredible things you could achieve!

Here are some strategies from Helmstetter's book to help you harness the power of positive self-talk:

1. Awareness: Start by observing your inner dialogue. Notice when you engage in negative self-talk and how it affects your emotions and actions.

2. Interruption: When you catch yourself using negative self-talk, interrupt the pattern. Use a phrase like "Stop!" or "Cancel!" to break the cycle.

3. Replacement: Replace negative self-talk with positive, empowering statements. For example, instead of saying, "I can't do this," try, "I am capable and resourceful. I will find a way."

4. Repetition: Repeat your positive self-talk consistently. The more you reinforce these messages, the more deeply they'll be ingrained in your subconscious mind.

5. Present Tense: Frame your self-talk in the present tense, as if it's already true. For example, "I am confident and successful" instead of "I will be confident and successful."

6. Emotion: Infuse your self-talk with positive emotions. Feel the excitement, gratitude, and joy associated with your statements.

By consistently practicing these strategies, you can reprogram your inner dialogue and develop a more positive, growth-oriented mindset.

I know it sounds a bit kooky, but truly the words you use when you talk to yourself shape your reality.

Choose them wisely, and you can propel yourself forward to nomadic solopreneur success.

Trivia Answer

If you guessed Vanuatu's Underwater Post Office, you'd be correct!

Located in the clear blue waters off Hideaway Island, this one-of-a-kind post office sits about 10 feet underwater. Visitors can dive down and mail special waterproof postcards, which are embossed with a unique stamp that can only be obtained at this underwater location.

The postal staff, clad in scuba gear, collect the mail from a special underwater mailbox. The cards are then sent to the island's post office to be processed and delivered to their destinations worldwide.

It's an extraordinary way to send a truly unique piece of mail while enjoying the stunning marine life of Vanuatu.

I’ll definitely be giving this a go when visiting in the future!

That’s All Folks

That’s it from me this week. I hope it’s been useful!

Make sure to come and connect on the FB Page, have a fabulous week, live your best life, and as always get out there and make it happen!

Jo 😊 

Also if you have any specific questions that you’d like me to address in a blog post, podcast episode or mini mastery, please click here and ask your question! I look forward to hearing from you. 😁 

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