I am especially thrilled because RKA ink is now selling eBooks Suck! for a bargain $4.99 and EVERY SINGLE PENNY goes to support the Awesome Girls Shift Africa 2013 project in Mombasa, Kenya this July.

the girls of tudor primary school in mombasa, kenya

Earlier this year, Awesomepreneur partnered with Girls Shift Africa to fund a local women’s health task force and provide young women in Mombasa with sustainable menstrual hygiene solutions. Check out our recent update from Girls Shift founder Faith Odhiambo.

This summer, we are taking it a step further and hosting a 10-day self esteem and confidence building workshop with the girls of Tudor Primary School in Mombasa. And you can help make it happen! Head on over to the RKA ink shop and get your copy of eBooks Suck! With each purchase, we are $4.99 closer to Kenya.

Read all about eBooks Suck! here and download your copy today.

RKA Note: Today’s tip comes to you from awesomepreneur Megan Monique, thanks to the Hungry Entrepreneurs guest post swap. Annie + Jennie couldn’t have partnered me with anyone more perfect than Megan Monique, the virtual goddess of Intuitive Marketing & Design. Megan and I share a passion for heart-centered entrepreneurship and I am very proud to join Megan as contributors to the Amazon bestseller eBooks Suck! (But They Don’t Have To). 

I’ve been offering online courses and making a living by working as an online entrepreneur for over 5 years now. There’s one thing I seem to learn & teach over and over again….

Always choose what feels good for YOU.

When I started out working for myself under the name “If I Were a Rainbow” on a not-so-great website (that’s actually still live,) I was hungry for advice and experience.

I’d been a virtual assistant before. So I knew my way around, but I only had an idea of how an eCourse was put to together; no real experience.

It’s so easy to google search “how to build an eCourse” and go step by step with someone elses advice. Not to say other peoples experiences aren’t valuable, (I’ll get to that later,) but what’s most important in creating your work is that what you are doing amazing to YOU.

I’m not a big online researcher, but one thing I do a lot of is ask around for advice. There’s no greater feedback to receive than that of someone you love, respect and even admire on a topic that you’re passionate about.

So, when I created my first eCourse, ROOTED an online experience that explored the Root Chakra, I asked around to everyone I knew.

How do you create your courses?

What programs did you use?

Do you have any pointers for something you wish you knew in the beginning?

How many people were in your first course?

What did you charge per person?

How long was it?

Over time, I lead more eCourses. Some of them were total flops. And the ones that did flop, did so because I went by someone elses playbook instead of my own.

My point is this. Ask for everyones advice. Google search the shit out of some ideas and strategies for your project or idea. But at the end of the day, when you start to take action, only use those ideas if they feel GREAT for you to do. If they feel in alignment with what you’re trying to create and if they amplify the message you want to send out into the world.

If they don’t feel good, toss em.

Modify them.

And above all else, trust yourself. This is where your true heartwork lies.

Tip #43 for working with heart – find where your true heartwork lies.

We are thrilled to announce that we finally have our menstrual cups with us We got them from Ruby Cup in Nairobi.

We are doing away with the taboo. We ain’t afraid of our blood, that is what makes us women, and we are also doing away with tampons and sanitary towels and welcoming the menstrual cup. It has a lot of benefits e.g. it is safe–can be worn for up to 12 hours–cost saving–it can last up to 10 years–and it is re-usable. How cool is that?

A very big THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts to all the women who made this possible and also to our partner Rachael for helping us have these cups. Thank you and many more blessings!!!

I have to say, this project didn’t feel real to me until I read this update. Now the countdown is on for the next step: Awesome Girls Shift Africa 2013, a 10-day self esteem building workshops with the girls of Tudor Primary School in Mombasa. We’re less than four months away! And we’re still seeking Awakeneer women to join us. Please help us spread the word! Click here for the application + more information on this exciting project.

Thanks again to all who donated to make this initiative possible! You can get a Ruby Cup of your very own at Ruby-Cup.com: for each Ruby Cup you purchase for yourself, a Ruby Cup is donated to a young woman in Kenya.

ruby cups are awesome!

I am so proud to be one of 40+ awesomepreneurs featured in this 100% suck-free eBook. You can join the party, too, at only $4.99/pop. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s inside:

For more deetz on what’s included in eBooks Suck! (But They Don’t Have To) visit the home of Hungry Entrepreneurs and read for yourself. You can find my chapter, entitled “Suckage 101: How To Piss Off, Patronize, and Prey On Your Readers In 6 Sucky Steps,” in the writing section.

As I write this, Brandon is slowly making his way from Burlington, Vermont to Seattle, Washington in search of his next melody. Or “songwriting crude oil,” as he calls it–so much for my gold rush metaphor.

Check out the interview for more on Brandon’s big adventure and all the link-tastic goodies you need to become an official BranFan.

brandon thompson, awesomepreneur

1. Who are you?
Give us a quick heartography of yourself.

I am a musician and songwriter who hails from Flint, Michigan. After seven years of living in Chicago, I’m now on a whirlwind of adventure taking me to Vermont, Puerto Rico, and finally, Seattle (where I hope to end up permanently – at least for a little while).

2. What do you do?
Describe your heartwork.

Above all, I love writing and recording my music the most. I typically do this at home with my own hodgepodge of “equipment,” but I’ve also put out a studio album. Once I’m finally settled again, I’d love to put another legit recording out. Since I love the creative process of songwriting so much, I definitely have more than enough material to take into a studio again. Otherwise, I’ve performed live at a number of bars/venues in Michigan and Chicago, and also spent a couple years hosting an open mic.

3. How did you get started as an awesomepreneur?

I was very lucky to be raised by an artistic family. My Mom is a theatre teacher and director and my Dad spent much of my life as a set builder/ballet instructor. Toss those in with my Grandma, who has run her own community theatre for 30 years, and you get a pretty song-and-dance filled upbringing. Throughout my childhood I was constantly around rehearsals and performances. I think the sound of Rogers and Hammerstein being hammered out on a piano just burrowed into the nether regions of my young consciousness. It wasn’t long until I was being thrown into productions because they needed a kid in the cast. Some of my first paying jobs were doing basic tech or playing music for those shows.

4. Do you have a day job?
How do you fund your heartwork?

As I’m in the middle of relocating, I’m currently unemployed. While in Chicago, I worked as a crew member aboard the Chicago Water Taxi. I love being in the elements, working on my feet. You could say that I like to suffer a little bit. I’m not sure if I could ever sustain a desk job. As I type this, I’m in Burlington, Vermont. Here, I’ve been doing plenty of cross country skiing and winter mountaineering. Part of my decision to move to Seattle was for its access to activities mountain and marine, fields in which I’m currently scheduling interviews for employment.

5. What is your biggest work challenge?
When does your heartwork feel like hard work?

Playing my music in a live setting is hands down the biggest challenge. I was a theatre major in college, and I’ve acted in numerous productions throughout my life. But this confidence does not translate in the music world. It’s been a hell of a hump to dissect – no script, blocking, etc. When I’m in front of people with my guitar and songs, I’m playing no role other than myself. Yikes. To be honest, there have been times I’ve been onstage thinking “Why the hell am I doing this? I HATE this.” Yet for some reason, I keep forcing myself to do it. I think a large part of it is, I get bored with songs very quickly. Once a song is finished being written, its shelf life begins to rapidly expire. So rather than play the old songs that I’m tired of, I try and showcase the “New! Exciting!” material that I’m just not as comfortable with, inevitably screwing up and crumbling apart. I’ve gotten really, really down on myself about it, to the point where I think there’s no way I’m ever going to play out again. No way. BUT – like I said, I keep coming back… And I’m beginning to adopt a new plan of attack. One that involves a greater appreciation for the trusty, older tunes.

6. What is the best thing about being an awesomepreneur?
Why do you love what you do?

Writing a new song is the best part. A lot of times, it’s pretty labored – like I’m swimming upstream, and phrases or chord progressions are feeling forced. But then out of the blue something goes pop! And the current that wasn’t there before just takes me, almost like a random reward. Suddenly I’m not crossing words out anymore, I’m nodding my head, thinking “yeah, this is good.” Hoagy Carmichael said “You don’t write melodies, you find them…If you find the beginning of a good song, and if your fingers do not stray, the melody should come out of hiding in a short time.” Songwriting crude oil. The only downside is, I’ll get on such a roll that suddenly, the song is finished and well, that’s that. Haha.

7. What is your #1 tip for working with heart?
What do you want to share with other awesomepreneurs?

Explore unchartered territory. There’s a lot of the same old same old out there, and it can feel like a real wasteland. But then, hey, there’s somebody doing something really different, playing in a weird tuning, with a chord vocabulary that spans past C, G, and D. Do not let yourself become a “type”. If some of the process wasn’t hard, then your finished product isn’t good enough.

In addition to his move out west, Brandon is also making the move to SoundCloud: find him and his newest jams there or become a BranFan on Facebook. Or you can help an awesomepreneur out and buy Brandon’s debut album on iTunes for just seven smackers. (I suggest the latter.)

Need a push? Don’t say I never gave you anything:

We love Brandon Thompson!

Awesomepreneur is re-launching next month with a fresh new design and a heartier mission: to bring readers daily recipes for mixing more passion and purpose into their work lives with tips, strategies, and stories from heartworking awesomepreneurs around the world.

(Sneak a peek at the Awesomepreneur 2.0 design.)

That’s where you come in. We’re inviting awesomepreneurs of all trades to share their heartwork with us in writing.

Who we need:

Awesomepreners, baby. Come one. Come all. Awesomepreneurship is defined by how you work, not what you do. Awesomepreneurs work with heart. Not only entrepreneurs and small business owners, awesomepreneurs are teachers, farmers, artists, lawyers, writers, doctors, accountants. You name it. Someone’s probably out there doing it with heart. We want to hear about it.

What we need:

Short blog posts, essays, and featured series about you and your heartwork. Download our re-launch countdown package to get a whiff of our new site mission and menu. We are seeking contributions that include:

• Daily tips for working with heart
• Interviews with inspiring awesomepreneurs
• Stories about giving back and weaving service into your heartwork
• Essays on your unique, funny, or moving journey to working with heart
• Insights and advice on healthy, heartful living
• Strategies for running a heart-centered business
• Biz hacks and step-by-step guides in your area of expertise

When we need it:

We are currently accepting contributions on a rolling basis, but would love to feature your writing when we re-launch with our Festival of Heartwork on May 1st! If you are interested in being a part of an awesome community of heartworkin’ folks from around the world, email rachael@RKAink.com and we’ll get the ball rolling.

To be featured in the May 1st Festival of Heartwork, please email your contribution no later than April 22, 2013.

How we’d like to thank you:

Awesomepreneur is our work of heart: we fund and fuel this free resource with lots of love and we’d like to share some of it with you! To thank you for your contribution, we will feature you and your heartwork in the Awesomepreneur Directory so readers can directly connect with you and support your website, blog, or business.

As Awesomepreneur grows, we plan on sharing our success with the our re-launch tribe through complimentary advertising space and targeted features to drive traffic to contributor websites. Our long-term goals are to share future Awesomepreneur profits with heartworking individuals, groups, and organizations in need of support. This winter, Awesomepreneur raised money to support the Girls Shift Africa Ruby Cup initiative, led by our awesomepreneur editor Faith Odhiambo, to provide women’s health care resources and education to young women in Mombasa, Kenya.

For your sneak peek of the Awesomepreneur 2.0 design, our brand new menu of topics, and all the details on our call for contributors, download our re-launch countdown package here.

We would love for you to be a part of our heartworking community of awesomepreneurs. If you are interested in writing for Awesomepreneur, email rachael@RKAink.com.

Wow! You rallied around Awesomepreneur and we WON the 2013 SheNOW Featured Blog Contest. Time for an awkward cartwheel! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support of Awesomepreneur.

Another big win for us was adding 12 amazing new women-owned blogs to our feed. Check out our fellow SheNOW featured blog finalists.  Or for more information on each blog, visit the SheNOW Pinterest page.

Turnip Seed Travel
Stretch Beyond Stuck Sanctuary
A Summer Moon
Raven Delana
Where’s Alex
Women Are Game Changers
Bauce Magazine
Corey Freeman
Her Agenda
Let’s Feel Better
Reflections From a Redhead
The Miracle Journal

awesomepreneur faith odhiambo, founder of girls shift africa

We started Girls Shift Africa in collaboration with YOUth Shift Africa’s founders Naraya and Moses: the organization’s inspiration came from my deep desire to support and empower girls and young women.

It was hard growing up. I struggled with self-esteem, didn’t believe in myself, and it felt like everybody made fun of me, which shut me down and made it difficult for me to talk to others, even in a group. I was quite shy. Most of my friends and family didn’t ultimately like me. In fact, no one believed in me, expect my father, who showed me unconditional love regardless of the circumstances.

Then came high school—the worst experience ever. I moved from Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, to attend a rural school in my hometown. It was an incredible challenge. I remember our school administrators telling us that kids from the city were a bad influence on the rural kids. My teachers told me time and again how I was a nobody who would never make it in this world. I was a slow learner, and these words hurt. I prayed and kept trying my best with the resources I had. I remember hoping the schools would close so I could just go back to Nairobi. But when I tried to tell my father, he insisted that I focus on my studies. I thank God I made it through high school at all.

Today, I know that my purpose in life is to empower girls and young women to believe in themselves no matter what, regardless of the circumstances. I want to be there as a big sister for the girls and young women I work with, I want to be there to listen and offer advice with the resources I have. I did not have anybody growing up and I don’t want anyone else to go through what I went through.

Girls Shift is a hub for those girls and young women who feel like outcasts in their communities. It is for those who do not have anyone to hold their hands and tell them, “You can do it!” It is for those who have been told that they can’t make it in life. We aim to break the cycle of poverty and dependency by uplifting, inspiring, and empowering young people from underprivileged  backgrounds!

Looking back at this journey, I am so thankful for those who believed in me, especially Naraya, for holding my hand and assuring me that I can make it, no matter what.

To learn more about Girls Shift Africa, visit our website and be sure to follow us on Facebook! If you are interested in joining us for a 10-day arts and theater workshop this summer, click here to learn more about our Awesome Girls Shift Africa 2013 project!

Today’s Awesome Sauce ingredients are peace and justice flavored in honor of International Women’s Day. Before moving to Mexico, I didn’t fully understand what this day was all about. What I’ve learned after four years of marches, performances, and vigils is that, while different groups, countries, and cultures celebrate this day in diverse ways, the overarching theme is centered around creating a new world for women. We don’t want flowers or congratulations. We want justice, equality, and peace for our sisters. (And we want it now!)

Want to mix s’more awesome into your sauce today? I encourage you to join me in lifting up women around the world and celebrating their heartwork. Start by reading and sharing Faith Odhiambo’s article, Why I Gave My Gift to the Shift, the first in our four-part series on Girls Shift Africa, an organization dedicated to uplifting, inspiring, and empowering girls and young women in Mombasa, Kenya. (Then, consider giving your gift to the shift by joining us in Kenya this summer for Awesome Girls Shift Africa 2013, a 10-day confidence building workshop with the girls of Tudor Primary School.)

For a heartier sauce, read about what awesomepreneur activists Doris Difarnecio, Martha Figueroa, Grace Remington, and Lydia Reich are doing to end femicide in Mexico in my article Can Art Stop Murder? Ni Una Más in Chiapas, Mexico Is Trying on Bitch Media.

Or, create your very own recipe for justice with inspiration from this roundup of International Women’s Day events around the world:

• The Centro Hemisférico will hold an urban poetry intervention Ésta que soy to honor the lives of women in Mexico, past and present
• Afghanistan is holding the country’s first ever women’s film festival
• Activists in Delhi marched to demand an end to impunity for rape in India
• In Johanneseburg, South Africa drummers by the hundreds beat out a message to stop violence against women
• President Barack Obama reauthorized an expanded Violence Against Women Act in the USA

Though the Awesome Sauce recipe at the top directs you to “lift up someone else’s heartwork,” the truth is that equality for women is all of our heartwork. A world that is just and peaceful for women is just and peaceful for all human beings. Can’t get more awesome than that.

Happy International Women’s Day!

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In honor of International Women’s Day, SheNOW is looking for the most inspirational blog written/owned by a woman and Awesomepreneur is on the list! Voting is open until Monday, March 12th!

Help an awesomepreneur out! Vote for Awesomepreneur here.