Silverbird / 10 Years in the Making
Neille's Digital Nomad Journey Part 1
As I begin the first three-month leg of my digital-nomad journey I am devoting a lot of time to look through the hundreds, let's not kid, thousands of bits of information I have collected over the past 10 years about design, minimalism (I think there's a joke in there somewhere), tiny living, finding your voice and living with purpose and building your own life on your own terms, learning to love myself and establishing boundaries and saying no when things and people do not serve me, brand strategy and visual branding (yes they are two different things but very connected, and the strategy comes first, it always comes first), business (I'm very left and right brained and love data and numbers, especially with dollar signs in front of it), and digital products.
One of my favorite pieces from my archive included a sketch from 2012. I didn't understand it at the time, but almost 10-years later and with a fresh perspective, it all immediately made sense. It was an early blueprint I created for an entrepreneurial center; you might even call it a community center. It revolved around teachings and tools to inspire and empower everyone to be an entrepreneur through classes, books, tutorials, lectures, speaking and networking events all housed under one roof. Everyone was welcome from the timid and curious beginner to the person who already had an idea but needed help getting it off the ground. Today you will find many of these incubator/start-up programs in cities and universities. My sketch also included adjacent out buildings where people could live and work in the same space. Residents might have a shop downstairs that offered goods or services to the community and live upstairs in their minimalist (yet luxurious) tiny space. Also included were built-in community gathering spots, some small and some large. Each one a welcoming and unique area for conversation, entertainment, and connection. I'm pretty sure I filed this away once I realized the sheer scale of this idea and the dollars it would take to build it.
Fast forward to 2020, yeah, the year of the pandemic. In March of 2020 I attended a 3-day conference in California run by Josh and Jill Stanton. Josh and Jill are a married couple I started following online in 2019. They were talking about "affiliate marketing" and their brand was called "Screw the 9-to-5." I liked what they were doing and sharing, and in-turn happened to fall in love with one of their mentors James Wedmore.
Once you check out James, you'll see what I mean about love. He speaks from the heart and gives, gives, gives. I became totally immersed in James' 8-day mini course called "Rise of the Digital CEO." What's a "digital CEO" you might ask? A digital CEO is an entrepreneurial minded leader who has expert knowledge to share with other people who are looking for a transformation in their lives, looking to better their health, looking to learn how to put happiness back in their lives, you name it there is a niche and an audience waiting to learn more.
The digital CEO doesn't try to do it all themselves. A CEO is the visionary behind the idea and knows that their time is best spent doing the things they love and excel at. The CEO works with a team to grow the business. You'll notice I didn't say hobby there. Becoming a digital CEO means changing your mindset, you'll need to be ready to go from figuring everything out yourself to building a team and falling in love with numbers. Numbers that can and often do include a dollar sign with 6 and 7 figures after it.
Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, I fell in love with James. What he talked about in his mini course felt very familiar, but I still didn't see the big picture. The last day of his mini course he introduced his signature product called "Business by Design," also known as BBD. BBD is a self-paced online learning portal that walks you through everything, and I do mean everything, you need to be, do and have to become a digital CEO and create your own online business focused on digital products. You can bet I was 1,000% interested. But it gets better.
Remember how I mentioned Josh and Jill earlier, well as affiliates they were offering several bonuses of their own if I purchased the BBD program through their link. I loved their offering which included additional weekly coaching and a private Facebook group and their very own 3-day "Screw the 9-to-5" Conference at the end of February 2020!
That was literally before we knew Covid-19 was a thing. So off to California I went. I was fortunate enough to stay with a good friend of mine there who was housesitting for a friend and had the best mini-vacation and networking adventure of my life.
I'm sure many of you will be surprised to find out I am an introvert. I know, if you truly know me, it's hard to believe. But when I am in a new situation around hundreds of strangers I freeze like a deer in the headlights. Part of this journey this past five years has been pushing myself toward my dreams even if I don't know what that looks like or how I'm going to accomplish it, and so I did. I smiled and introduced myself to strangers (some I now call friends), I listened closely (that's one of my superpowers) to what others had to share, I went to strategy sessions in Josh and Jill's penthouse suite and was the last person to share my vision for my business because I was still having such a hard time seeing what it really was. I'm pretty sure it didn't make any sense when I shared with a room of thirty strangers back in February. I am so excited to say I now have clarity.
What makes my business different is that I want to empower other amazing women like me! Women who may feel like they are meant to create something bigger than themselves. Women with innate knowledge and wisdom that once shared will impact others' lives. Women who are over forty and feel invisible and left behind in their careers or professional lives. Women who think they will never understand business, and branding, and marketing and technology (more of my superpowers). Women who are ready take control of their future and create their own financial freedom.
My dream that I'm bringing to fruition is Silverbird. Silverbird is a gathering place where women celebrate and raise each other up. A place where conversations flow and sisterhood grows. The main platform for Silverbird will be an online community where women can connect and share wisdom through community and courses. Silverbird will offer wisdom courses for sale created by our authors which I've dubbed Starlings. The Starlings undergo a 12-week proprietary training that transforms their knowledge into bite-sized digital products. And that is just the beginning. Remember the sketch I mentioned earlier? My big vision is to create a physical place where we can all gather and share in real life, not just online. Through classes, trainings, and retreats and celebrations. What do you think of New Zealand? Consider this your invitation to join me… at any step of this journey, with the right systems and team in place I will see you in New Zealand in five years.
The person who inspired me to think big was James Wedmore. I invested in myself and my dream by purchasing James' "Business by Design" program. I have worked my way through BBD the past two years while building a life that I love. I embarked on a digital nomad journey in April of 2021 that started with selling everything that did not fit in my car and driving to Phoenix Arizona where I'm staying through June. While I'm here, I am focused on my brand strategy business and building Silverbird on the side.
There are several ways you can connect with James and learn more about yourself and what becoming a digital CEO looks like (and maybe fall in love with him, too.)
No costs ways to connect to James:
His website: https://www.jameswedmoretraining.com/
His amazing podcast: https://www.mindyourbusinesspodcast.com/
His YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/jameswedmore
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jameswedmore/?hl=en
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jameswedmore2
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/jameswedmore?lang=en
LIMITED TIME OFFER! For a $97 Investment (Regular $297):
My affiliate link: https://www.jameswedmoretraining.com/a/15465/LeCcQrFQ
Not sure what niche you would focus on for your digital product, join James for his two day "Nail Your Niche" masterclass workshop, May 27 and May 28. This training really gets you thinking about all the possibilities, this is what finally gave me clarity around creating Silverbird. He's also made this a complete no-brainer with an amazing guarantee. By the end of the masterclass, if you haven't clearly identified your niche… he'll give you your money back.
Stay tuned for his live training in June that leads into his signature program "Business by Design." Even If you only show up for the free training you will be blown away. If you decide you're ready to make the investment in yourself I’d love for you to do it through my affiliate link when it becomes available.
I am offering the following bonuses to those who sign up for BBD through my affiliate link (you must use my link to get the bonuses).
NEILLE'S SILVERBIRD BBD BONUS #1
Silverbird Starling - Founding Member: 12-week beta program starting Sept. 2021.
(Beta student price $997 – second cohort will be $2,997) - FREE TO YOU
You will be the part of the first group of Starlings I will take through my 12-week signature program that walks you through step-by-step how to tap into your wisdom to create a suite of digital products that will launch on the Silverbird platform. As a founding author you will receive 40% of all proceeds for every course you sell on the platform. (Other platforms like Udemy offer 30%.) Silverbird takes care of all the business, branding, marketing, sales, and delivery so that you can focus on taping into and sharing your expertise to make an impact. As an author you will also be invited to participate as an expert inside our private Facebook Community.
NEILLE'S SILVERBIRD BBD BONUS #2
1-Hour Coaching/Listening Session:
To be scheduled anytime between now and August 31, 2021
(Value $149) - FREE TO YOU
I’d love to learn more about you and hear your story. Where are you currently in life and what are your dreams? This 1-hour call will be the primer to get you thinking about everything you have to share and why it’s important to get it out into the world.
If any of what I shared here resonates with you I hope, you'll tag along and join the conversation on the Silverbird Facebook business page. And if you are one of my soul sisters and want to become a part of the community watch for the link to join the Silverbird private Facebook group. Sorry guys, this one is just for the ladies.
Thank you for being a part of my life, you all truly matter and have made me who I am today!
Love,
Neille
Other ways to connect with me:
Facebook Personal Page:
https://www.facebook.com/neillehoffman
Facebook Silverbird Page:
https://www.facebook.com/silverbirdcollective
Facebook Branding Page:
https://www.facebook.com/BrandedForSuccess
Instagram Personal Link: @neillehoffman
https://www.instagram.com/neillehoffman/
Instagram Silverbird Link: @silverbirdcollective
https://www.instagram.com/silverbirdcollective/
Instagram Digital Nomad Journey: @nomadlifewithneille
https://www.instagram.com/nomadlifewithneille/