Your Story Matters: Writing a Book to Grow Your Business with Kate Allyson

Curious about how writing can revolutionize your business? In this episode, we welcome the inspiring Kate Allyson, a book writing coach, editor, speaker, and author, who transitioned from a music educator to a beacon for neurodivergent women entrepreneurs. Kate shares her insights on the transformative journey of writing a book—not just as a business tool to draw in the perfect clients and capture media attention, but as a personal voyage that builds confidence and tackles imposter syndrome. Listen as we unravel the art of storytelling and its power to connect, making any book a compelling lead magnet.

Facing a blank page is a common hurdle, but fear not! Kate introduces her signature book mapping process to help organize and structure your thoughts, transforming them from chaotic ideas into a cohesive manuscript. Hear inspiring stories of clients who, despite challenges like dyslexia, successfully authored impactful books. This episode dispels the myth that you must be an expert writer to pen a book; with the right mindset and tools, anyone can embark on this rewarding journey.

Rounding off our conversation, we celebrate success stories that highlight the profound impact of writing on business growth. Discover practical writing tips—from setting realistic goals to combating writer's block by understanding its roots. Kate’s collaborative approach ensures your unique voice shines through, even as your manuscript is refined. If you've ever thought about bringing your story to life, this episode is your invitation to begin, even if it’s just ten minutes a day. Join us for an episode filled with wisdom, encouragement, and actionable insights to boost your communication and, ultimately, your financial success.

Learn more about Kate at https://www.facebook.com/KateAllysonCreative and check out her Free Book Map at https://kateallysonbooks.com/bookmap.

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My name is Stephanie Smith, owner of New Light Financial Solutions, and we help business owners walk the one clear path to generating more cash in their business. To learn more, visit us online at https://newlightfs.com/

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Transcript

Impact of Writing Books on Business

Speaker 1 0:09

Hey everyone , welcome to another episode of Getting to the Bottom Line , where I'm your host , Stephanie Smith , owner of New Light Financial Solutions , where we offer outsourced CFO services and help businesses generate more cash within their business . And we do this by looking at 16 financial drivers of revenue , profit and cashflow to find out what's working and what's not working so we can help people improve their business . But I know that there's more than just financial drivers that impact people's bottom line , which is why I have this podcast and I'm excited to have on my show with me today Kate Allison . Thanks , Kate , for coming to join us today .

Speaker 2 0:49

Thank you so much for having me .

Speaker 1 0:51

Kate is a book writing coach , editor , speaker and author . She loves working with neurodivergent women who are writing a book to grow their business and has worked with dozens of published authors . That sounds so awesome , Kate . Tell me , how did you get into doing that ?

Speaker 2 1:08

So that's a great question . My background is actually in music education , so you hear that and you wouldn't think well , how do you go from being a music educator to being a book editor ? Well , I realized , you know , after teaching for a few years , that teaching just wasn't my heart , just wasn't in it . I loved working with the children , but dealing with the administration was too much for me . So I started looking at , well , what else can I do ? So I did some other things and then I started thinking about okay , if I could do absolutely anything , what would I do ?

Speaker 2 1:42

I would read books all day , and I have always loved books . So it made sense when I thought about well , wait a minute , maybe I could be a book editor . And around this time that I was thinking this was when I met my partner , Matt , and he was writing his first novel . He had written a Dr Seuss type book , but this was his first novel and he read it to me and I gave feedback and he commented that he said well , you're really good at this . And that gave me the courage to say you know what ? This is really where my heart is , this is what I should be doing , and so that's how I got started , and that was six years ago .

Speaker 1 2:17

I love that story and I don't know if you knew this , but I also used to be a teacher and I taught high school math , and it was not for me either , and the administration the whole nine yards . So here we both are doing something different . So I love your story and I love that you're doing something that you love doing . There's so many people who haven't been able to find that in their lives , so I commend you for that . So that's awesome . But tell me , tell me and everyone , a little bit more about what you do .

Speaker 2 2:47

So I help people who have a book in their head and they know that they want to write it but they're not sure how to get started . I help them get their ideas out of their head and onto paper so that they can organize their ideas and then actually write their book . And then I also do book editing . So sometimes people come to me they've got a manuscript and they need help polishing it , really making it shine , and so that's where I come in at that point . So for some people I work with them from the conception , like the idea , all the way through the editing process , and I really love doing that because that allows me to see the book take shape . But I also love doing the editing itself .

Speaker 1 3:28

Do you feel like everyone has a book inside them ? Yes , I do I feel like I knew you were going to say that , but I'm just curious . Most people that approach you , I assume are already have the idea that they want to write a book right . Yes , yes . What are reasons that people should write a book , if it's not just I ? It's something I wanted to do .

Speaker 2 3:50

So there are a lot of reasons to write a book , you know , since , since I'm on your podcast , it can help grow your business , it can help you find your idea , it can help your ideal clients find you , it can help you get on stages and in media so that's how it can really impact your bottom line .

Speaker 2 4:08

But it does so much more than that . You know , when you write your book , when you share your story , you never know who out there needs to hear what you have to say . And so , when you write your book , you have the potential to change someone's life with what you're saying you just never know . And the other piece of that is that , writing your book , you have the potential to change someone's life with what you're saying you just never know . And the other piece of that is that , writing your book , the first person that it changes is you . So by writing your book , you're going to transform yourself , you're going to become more confident , you're going to kick imposter syndrome to the curb , because when you write a book , you realize , oh , I really do know what I'm talking about and that can really help you overcome that imposter syndrome and establish your expertise , not just to the world , but also to yourself .

Speaker 1 4:53

I love that . I do think telling your story right makes such an impact to other people and that's how we all relate to each other . Like I've been there , I've done that , or I just needed to hear that , so I love that part of it and , of course , I alluded to this just by asking the question . It can impact your bottom line , which I think is great . I know everyone in the online space knows what a lead magnet is , right , so it's possible to use this as a lead magnet . Or , as you mentioned , there's a lot of ways that you can use this to improve your business and I don't think everybody realizes that . Writing a , yeah , but if somebody wanted to like now that you're thinking about it , right , I didn't think I could write a book , or I'm not sure I wanted to like I don't know what would be something you would say to someone to either get , encourage them to get started or get them over that line of like maybe I do , maybe I don't to get started .

Speaker 2 5:52

Well , my goal when I work with people is to be their biggest cheerleader . So I'm going to provide feedback on what my goal when I work with people is to be their biggest cheerleader . So I'm going to provide feedback on what you're writing and I'm going to provide constructive criticism . But I'm also going to point out hey , here's why this is really important for you to write your book . You know this sentence here . This really resonated with me and I think that your audience really needs to hear this . So my goal is to be your biggest cheerleader because , again , most of the people who come to me , they already know that they want to write a book . You know , if you're on the fence about writing a book , it's something to explore , but it is . It is a process , and so you have to understand why you're doing it before you start writing it .

Speaker 1 6:30

How long does it usually take people to write books ?

Speaker 2 6:40

That is a great question . Some people take decades .

Speaker 1 6:41

Other people write their book in three months . I guess that depends on the type of book and what you're writing and how long it is and all that Obviously trick question . I guess yes .

Speaker 2 6:50

Typically when I work with a client , our goal is to get their first draft done within three months .

Speaker 1 6:55

Yeah , that makes sense . Well , and getting it done is also important , and dragging it out too much is is not as important . But , um , I love that . Uh , what's , what are some things that you've

Overcoming Writing Challenges and Misconceptions

Speaker 1 7:08

? You see that people trip up on when they're getting started .

Speaker 2 7:13

Uh , not knowing how to start . Sometimes they'll just open a Word document and try to start writing , and that doesn't really work . So I have a signature process that I walk people through , called my book mapping process , and I have a link to a freebie that I provided you . So I hope that you'll include that in the notes , that people can click on that and get my book map , because that helps you get your ideas out of your head . It's going to help you organize your ideas and then you're actually going to create your document so that you don't have to stare at a blank page , because that blank page can be so , so , so scary .

Speaker 2 7:48

And another thing that I find that trips people up is the idea of perfectionism . You know , especially if you're an avid reader , you are used to reading good books , but you have to remember what you're reading is the author's finished product . When you pick up a Stephen King book , you're not reading his rough draft , so you can't compare your rough draft to someone else's finished product . It's not going to be perfect , and that's okay . That's what the editing process is for .

Speaker 1 8:14

It's not going to be perfect , and that's okay . That's what the editing process is for . Well , those are really important , right ? You can't compare your first draft to anyone's last draft in anything in life outside of books , but definitely books included . So I love that . I will definitely include the link to your freebie in the show notes so people can grab that , because it sounds interesting to know and I don't know if you want to talk more about it your process to get your ideas on paper , because I can see how starting with a blank page would just be terribly daunting .

Speaker 2 8:45

Yeah , so pretty much the process is you start by doing a brain dump and just getting all of your ideas out of your head . Now I could talk for an hour on the steps to get this done , so this is just in a nutshell . And then what I do is I use my book map process to help you organize your ideas , put them in order , and then you use that to create your document . You create a heading with each concept that you're talking about , and then you include a brief description so that when you go to write it , you know exactly what you're writing about .

Speaker 1 9:16

That makes sense , definitely getting your thoughts out on paper . I feel like I need to do that just in life in general . Sticky notes everywhere , or halfway online and halfway on paper . Yes , but I love that you're doing that . So what are some common misconceptions about writing a book Do you think people have ?

Speaker 2 9:40

I hear people say all the time I can't write a book because I'm not a writer . Well , you don't have to be , you don't have to think of yourself as a writer to write a book . You know , I've worked with so many clients who have . You know , I've worked with one client who had dyslexia , you know . So she had issues with you know , grammar and spelling , but she knew that her message was really important and so because of that , you know , we were able to work through that and get her ideas out . And then , of course , we edited her book so that it looked professional in the end . And so it's important to understand that you don't have to be again . You don't have to be perfect , you don't have to think of yourself as a writer . Anyone really can write a book .

Speaker 1 10:23

I love that .

Success Stories and Writing Tips

Speaker 1 10:25

Do you have a favorite book that one of your clients has written , or a success story that you'd like to talk about ?

Speaker 2 10:33

Well , I had one client who wrote a book called Chunk , who was right . It's about how to plan strategic retreats to grow your business . And in the year following that so he published his book and in the following year he did over a million and a half dollars in new business .

Speaker 1 10:51

Wow , yeah , that's amazing .

Speaker 2 10:54

Yes , yes , now he had the systems in place so he could scale . And you know , know , obviously he was already , you know , doing really well in business , and he did the marketing well too , so that helped him get to where he wanted to be .

Speaker 1 11:09

Do you help people with their marketing and stuff beyond finishing the book , or you just I'm going to help you write the book and that's it In between , I'm going to help you write the book and that's it In between .

Speaker 2 11:19

I'm going to help you write the book and then I'm going to refer you to a marketing expert .

Speaker 1 11:24

Okay .

Speaker 2 11:24

Because I'm not the marketing expert . You do not want me to market your book , but at the same time , I don't want to just leave you high and dry like , okay , well , now I have this book , what do I do next ? Because marketing is such an important part that I want to make sure that you have the resources that you need .

Speaker 1 11:40

Right , well , now you have a story you have to have people to to share it with is very important . But I completely understand . We all have our areas of expertise , me myself included . I am not the marketing person , so I completely understand from that aspect . So , out of curiosity , when it comes to you and doing your editing and your process , like how do you approach that ? Because obviously , as an editor , you're taking your point of view when you're reading people's things and giving feedback , but I'm just curious what you do to make the process smooth for people .

Speaker 2 12:15

So it's a very interactive process . So when I'm editing a book , typically what I'll do is I'll start by having a conversation with the author about what their goals are for their book , and then I read a couple chapters to get an idea of the author's voice before I start editing , because my goal is to preserve your voice as much as possible to really make your book shine . And so , and then what I do ? Then I go through the editing process and I show you what changes I've made in the document . There's a feature in Word called track changes and I use that so that authors can see exactly what I changed . And then , after I finish editing , then we have a zoom call to discuss the edits and any questions that they have , and there might be some suggestions that I made where they're like well , this doesn't work for me , so then we talk through .

Speaker 2 13:02

Okay , here's why I made that suggestion . What else could we do with this piece ? To keep it in your voice and fix whatever issue I saw with it . So that's how I work with authors . Like I said , it is a very collaborative process and ultimately , my belief is that it is your book . You do not have to accept every suggestion that I make it's up . You know , trust your instincts .

Speaker 1 13:25

I love that . Right , you're not coming to take over , you're just helping . Helping them make it better than their original first draft , which is why they reached out to you to begin with . Right Cause , again , we're not perfect and we're not , we're not right out of the gate . We don't know what to do . So I love that you work with people one-on-one yes , super important . So what are some practical tips you might give someone who's just getting started or wants to get started writing a book ?

Speaker 2 13:57

Well , number one be realistic . You know , if you're not used to writing , you're not . You're probably not going to be able to sit down and write for three hours a day , and that's okay . You know , even if all you can do is 10 minutes a day , you'll still make progress .

Speaker 1 14:14

I love that tip and I that's like true about anything right and you have to just get started . You have to start somewhere , so even 10 minutes is better than zero .

Speaker 2 14:25

And sometimes you'll find after those 10 minutes you're like , oh okay , well , now I'm inspired , I'm going to keep writing , and that's great . Other times you might be like you know what , that's enough and that's okay .

Speaker 1 14:33

Yeah , do you ever find that people get stuck with writer's block ?

Speaker 2 14:45

Yes , with writer's block , yes , do you have any tips to overcome that ? Again , I have a whole presentation on this , so I could talk for an hour on how to overcome writer's block . But the biggest thing that I teach about writer's block is that it is a symptom , it's not a cause . The reason why you can't write isn't because you have writer's block . You have writer's block because there's something else going on , and that could be something as simple as you forgot to eat lunch and you need to go eat something before you sit down to write . Or it could be something like if you're writing about something that's particularly challenging to write about .

Speaker 2 15:14

So my book , for example , is about a life with my rescue dog , and she passed away unexpectedly when she was barely six years old . So writing about it was a challenge for me , but it was also very cathartic . But I needed some space . I couldn't write the book right away . I needed some time and some space to heal , so sometimes that's what you need . So understanding why you're experiencing writer's block is the first step to figuring out how to fix it .

Speaker 1 15:45

I love that and you , life happens right . We were talking about that at the very beginning of this call or when we joined the call and and yeah it's . I like that , setting expectations with yourself that it's more than likely . I feel like with a lot of things in life , it's not going to go exactly how you planned or how you thought right out of the gate , so that's a great tip . I love that . Do you have any resources other than your mapping that you would recommend for people as they're getting started ?

Speaker 2 16:16

I recommend following me on Facebook , because you're going to get some good tips there .

Speaker 1 16:21

Okay , we can all do that . So that that leads into my question . If someone did want to work with you and find out more about you , obviously they can find you on Facebook , but where else could they find you ?

Speaker 2 16:31

So they can find me at my website . It's kateallisoncreativecom and I think I gave you that information , so that can be in the links as well , I will include both .

Speaker 1 16:40

Awesome , so everyone needs to go follow Kate on Facebook and find her online . But I did want to ask , before we end , what's one takeaway you would want people to get after listening to this conversation , if they wanted to write a story for themselves or for their business .

Speaker 2 16:58

It's that you have an important story to tell and only you can tell it in the way that you can . You have a unique perspective , and so , even if there are already books written down there about your subject , that doesn't mean that you can't write it , because somebody might need to hear it in just the way that you're going to say it . So my biggest I hope that your biggest takeaway from this is that your story matters .

Speaker 1 17:24

I love that and I want to say one of my takeaways is that don't compare your first draft to someone else's final draft in book writing and in anything in life , I feel like , especially in business because we're all just doing the best that we can . This was such a great conversation , kate

Building Financial Success Through Communication

Speaker 1 17:41

. Thank you so much for coming and speaking with me today . Thank you for having me . I am excited . That's all that we have for this episode of Getting to the Bottom Line everyone . If you want to find more and find out more about me and our business , new Light Financial Solutions , you can find me online at my website , wwwnewlightfscom , or you can also find me on Facebook and LinkedIn . But we will see you on the next episode . So thank you all for joining me today . Have a wonderful day . Bye , everyone .