An open letter to my readers, followers, friends, partners, clients, customers, and pretty much everyone else who I’ve met online or in real life:

Over the years, at the advice of my mentors and many of the guru’s out there I’ve set up various layers of staff between me and you all, really in an effort to get more done.

But I feel very disconnected from you.  Yes, I’ve set out surveys, opened up teleclasses for questions, and spoken to a few people on twitter/facebook, but that’s really not enough for me to get what’s going on with you, and for us to really connect.

This issue became really clear to me after I went to Monster Vegas Tweetup last weekend, where I connected in person with dozens of other business owners I know via twitter.  It’s amazing how much closer I feel with my twitter friends/network & how many potential powerful projects are already coming out of that night!  Really, engaging with each other in real life, or on the phone, is the only way to develop a lasting connection & take it to the next level.

So … what’s going on in your business?  What struggles are you having right now?  How are you not being served by what’s already out there?  What’s your big idea, purpose, mission, or dream? What’s missing for you in your business (or how it fits into your life) right now?  Tell me more!

If you reply to this email with your direct phone number, I’ll call you back in the next week or two to speak with you.  (If you just want to respond by email, that’s great too!)

The #1 goal of the call is to learn more about you, your business, and your situation.  I probably will only be able to spend 15-20 minutes per call — otherwise I’ll be on the phone forever!  :)

Of course, if I know of a resource that may help you, I’ll share that resource just like I would with a personal friend.  But the point of the call is not any sort of pitch for anything in particular — the point is to hear more about you.

Thank you so much for listening to me over the months/years!  I look forward to listening to you!

Thanks,

Elizabeth

P.S. I’ve also changed the Contact Us forms and reply-to emails so that I personally get your email replies & inquires.

P.P.S.  I’ll let you know how this works out … it’s either a brilliant idea or completely nuts.

If you would like to “Tell Me More” just fill out my Contact form on the site — the emails come directly to me — OR make your appointment directly on my calendar (added 6/20/09).

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Update 6/15/09: After sending out that email to my list (and posting a link and request for the same info on twitter & facebook) I immediately received *dozens and dozens* of responses (and more are coming in every day).  I’m honored and amazed at the deeply personal emails people have sent me (as well as how many people want me to call them back) — people are so *longing* to make real connections with each other!

How am I dealing with all of these emails and phone calls?  I read many of the emails as they come in (just can’t help myself) but I’m only answering emails about once per day, at the end of the day — typically in a few sentences.  My plan on the phone calls (I’m out of town visiting family right now) is to spend 1-4 hours at a time in a marathon of calling people back (if they don’t answer, I’ll put them on the list to call in my next time block) — this will be while my daughter is at Cubes & Crayons (hourly childcare/co-working) or while she’s at gymnastics or music class.  I’m so excited about this project — and I’ll let you know how it goes.

Update 6/19/09: Wow.  I have 70+ phone calls to make, and have only had 5 live conversations with people so far.  A few issues — I tend to speak to each person for 30 or 45 minutes instead of 10 or 15 (but people are just so interesting!!!) and there’s a big phone tag problem.  Whenever I do this again, I’ll have each person sign up for a particular day/time.  And I might do this anyway, hum.

But just the few calls I’ve been able to have are already *amazing* – people are doing so many powerful things in their business, and it’s wonderful how I can just give one off-the-cuff idea that helps them in their situation.  I’ve also been able to hook up w/ some great future joint venture partners that I was not aware would make sense … sometimes you have to speak to someone to see the real connection.

So if you asked for me to call you … it may be a week or two to get back to me. Thanks for being patient!

Update 6/26/09:  After 2 weeks of calls I’m sure that this will not be a one-time event.

Speaking with people on my list for just 15 minutes is really the most amazing survey I have ever done.  If you ask people “what challenges are you facing” in a survey they will give you answers, but many times the real challenges are the ones they cannot articulate yet.

After speaking with a few dozen people, there are some commonalities, more than just “we’re in a recession so it’s hard to get clients” etc.  Many of you are full of business & project ideas and don’t know which to pick.  Many of you have established businesses that are not your actual passion, and don’t know how to merge the two.  You’re overwhelmed with options and don’t know what to implement in what order.

And you have *amazing* businesses and passions! I’m talking about: starting a cable TV show, teaching financial basics to young adults, using hawaiian culture in personal development, showcasing local non-technological businesses, creating a positive community for divorced women, making handmade wigs, and more!

Still making more calls next week, and there are a few spots still left … sign up on my calendar asap to get your spot!