Hi Lucie, Sugar is sugar. Whether it is stevia, from fruit or refined sugar. They all spike my bloodsugar. So I have to be careful with everything that has sugar in it. Even fruit. However, if my sugar levels are ‘normal’ then natural sugar is definitely better. Wishing you all the best with your break through! See you on Friday! Mariëlle

Hi Lucie, I do recognize what you are saying. You only have one body and it is time we take better care of it. So you go girl, I know you can do it. And we can keep eachother alert. We are not alone in this. Reading the comments of the others, I see a lot of people promise themselves to take better care of their health. Together we ware strong!

6. How are you going to celebrate it – when you’ve achieved this goal? I am going to book a professional photo session, to show myself (and the world) the ‘new’ radiating and healthy me. The last time I had a photo session is almost 10 years ago. So it is special and if I pull this off (and I will) much deserved!

5. Come up with a plan – what will you do to keep staying in line. 1. Forgetting about diabetes I need to remind myself that I have diabetes. It is so easy to forget that fact and automatically take that cookie you get with your tea when you are in a restaurant. It is important to be aware of what I eat. So no more mindless taking a sweet. Be aware of every step I t… Read More

Everything that might still stop you from achieving this goal in 2023 1. Forgetting about diabetes 2. Acting as if I can eat everything 3. Not being consequent 4. I will start tomorrow (it is always tomorrow) 5. I am too busy 6. One sweet won’t hurt (not taking it seriously enough) 7. Giving in to an off day 8. Not asking for help

3. What is different this time? I know I can do it. I did it before. And I can feel that diabetes is taking its toll in my body. I NEED to do this, because it is a slow killer. Thing is, you do not die immediately and you can grow old with diabetes. However, the dangerous thing is, is that diabetes is an assassin. Slowly, it has its effect on your body. From your eyes an… Read More

Why haven’t you achieved it so far? I did achieve it. I lost about 13 kilo’s, which was really necessary and my sugar level was really good. I was about two kilo’s away from my weight goal. I did this with a program. Thing is, after the program I found it difficult to keep up the regime. I have a sweet tooth, it makes me happy. Being in the program, together with peop… Read More

2023 will be the year of my personal break throughs. I have been thinking all week what break through to deal with in the training. I cannot choose, because for me they are equally important. However, today I made a choice, at last. I am going to choose for my health. So it will be a personal goal. Thing is, I have diabetes. Everything was pretty much under control but due… Read More

It is celebration time. I am really proud of myself and of course of all the people in the group. We completed the program! What lessons you learned in the WOMB you’re going to keep implementing in the future? – I can be proud of myself and I must celebrate my success – Not everything has to be perfect – I always felt ‘guilty’ when I was not working. But I only c… Read More

Day 5 – In the celebration page (Friday) share the lessons you’re going to keep implementing in your life, who you’ve become and how are you going to celebrate the completion of the program. I did it. I completed the entire program. From day one until the last day, the program kept me motivated. I will miss the weekly assignments but I am glad we will keep access … Read More

Day 4 – Make a list of all your insights, lessons, habits and understandings you’ve gained So, that is an assignment that is going to take a while. Because I do not know where to begin. I learned so much. – In my business it is just me, myself and I. So when Nisandeh gave us a way to brainstorm with yourself, it was really enlightening. It is a wonderful way to ju… Read More

Day 3 I am really grateful for all the hot seats of the past half year. There were so many questions every time and most of the time I saw my question or something similar in the list. The most important question I had, Nisandeh answered in our private session. I am so, so, so happy with all the insights I got during that session. It was a real inspiration. Already busy… Read More

Hi Gerdy, I really appreciated you helpfulness and your comments. The deep insights that made me think. I hope to read more of you. Wishing you all the best and luck in the world with your business.

Day 2 Identify what you appreciate about the other participants 1. I learned so much in this group 2. All the participants were so open and honest 3. I felt so safe in this group 4. I have never been so open and vulnerable in a group and that is thanks to all the participants 5. Everyone was so helpful 6. It was great to read all the insights of the participants 7… Read More

Day 1 – Make a list of all the things you appreciate, love and admire about yourself 1. Willpower 2. Creative 3. Optimistic 4. Good listener 5. Generous 6. Honest 7. Respectful 8. Principled 9. Helpful 10. Cheerful

Day 5 – Come up with a strategic plan how you will respond next time that one of triggers you identified will be pushed. The most important thing is doing the opposite. Not let myself be overwhelmed or fall back in bad habits. In my mind I know exactly what to do. So the challenge is to actually do it. 1. Procrastination Not postpone things, but do them right away…. Read More

Day 4 – For each one of your self-sabotaging patterns you identified before – clarify the values and goal (or goals) you’re going to go for 1. Procrastination Set deadlines and the goal is to keep those deadlines 2.Perfectionism Have more confidence. Sometimes good is good enough. Let go. 3. Fear of Failure What is the worse that can happen. Nothing is li… Read More

Day 3 – For each one of your self-sabotaging patterns you identified before – identify the cost (or costs) you paid for it in the past. They all cost me money, time, stress, sometimes even customers/clients and sleepless nights. So you would think that is reason enough to stop those self-sabotaging habits. Easier said than done but I would like to try. Step by step.

WOW Manny, Thank you for sharing this quote. I will write it down, maybe put it on my mirror, so I can look at it every day!

I so recognize what you are saying. What you said about hiring someone. I need someone. But I have tried it, several times, and it did not work out. Because they did not do the work as I would do it. I have really high quality standards. And now I am afraid to hire someone new. Fear of letting go? Is that what is keeping you from hiring someone? I imagine there are tasks… Read More

Day 2 – For each one of your self-sabotaging patterns – identify its trigger (or triggers) 1. Procrastination When a task is boring. Or when I do not know exactly how to do it. Or when I am ‘afraid’ to do it because I might fail. Or someone might say ‘no’, or might not like it. 2.Perfectionism When you are ‘afraid’ to present it to the world because it might no… Read More

Day 1 – Make a list of all your self-sabotaging patterns that you’re aware of 1. Procrastination 2.Perfectionism 3. Fear of Failure 4. Distraction 5. Self-doubt 6. Comparison 7. Getting angry at myself when I do not know how to do something 8. Focus 9. Too much going on in my head, sometimes 10. I need deadlines or someone giving me deadlines. Otherwise I a… Read More

Hi Tineke, Thank you for your comment. What I mean, saying hopefully history does not repeat itself, is that I hope we will have learnt from our mistakes. Like the unnecessary wars, the way we treat our environment, the way we put ‘ourselves’ first, the way the riches in the world are not fairly divided, and so on. But of course that is Utopia, because we are human and … Read More

What I liked is how enthusiastic you told about your insights and a subject that clearly has your heart. I recognized a lot, because I basically share the same views. What I also liked is that it was no doom story. And I wholeheartedly agree. Ofcourse, what is happening now in the world is awful. It feels as if we are ready to embark on the ark and all around us rain is st… Read More

Day 5. Make a strategic plan how you’re going to develop & implement these product/service AND marketing strategy/tactic in 2023 Already on it. Because building ‘my brand’ meaning who am I as a person and as a company is a priority for 2023. It all starts with writing down my core qualities/ the core qualities of my companies. What is important. What am I proud of… Read More

Day 4 – Pick up ONE NEW marketing strategy/tactic you’re going to try out in 2023 So much is happening. I am really excited to start the new year. Working out ideas and finding matching marketing tactics. What I find most important for 2023: (MY) Brand Storytelling. Up till now I primarily concentrated on the brands I sell. Every brand/product has a story to tell…. Read More

Day 3. Pick up ONE NEW product/service to create and offer in 2023 Organize an outlet to get rid of all stuff older than 3 years and has already been written off. This is the easiest to accomplish and very much needed. Letting go of ‘older’ collections.

Thank you, Lucie. Coming up with these ideas gave me a lot of energy 🙂

Day 2 – Use the Idea Generator to come up with at least 10 NEW marketing strategies/tactics you might want to use in 2023. So, I am not a marketeer. And preferably I outsource marketing to people that are specialized in (new) marketing tactics and strategies. 1. Influencer marketing. Build long term relationships with good influencers and have them help me to make D… Read More

Day 1 – Use the Idea Generator to come up with at least 10 NEW product/services you might want to create and offer in 2023. 1. Go to company’s with a selection of my products. Tell their employees about sustainable living and some easy (first) steps. Of course they can buy stuff should they want to… 2. Go to customers within 25 kilometers around Almere (like a tupper… Read More

Day 5 – Make a plan how to kaizen all the items on your “difficult to optimize” list and schedule the actions in your agenda. I decided to put no more effort in the products that are difficult (to sell). I stopped buying these articles and now I have to get ‘rid’ of them. The watches I will put on sale. Same goes for the crafts packages. There will be an article in … Read More

Day 4 – Make a plan how to kaizen all the items on your “requires some effort to optimize” list and schedule the actions in your agenda Requires some effort Tunics: the easiest way is to wear them myself on video and in the shop when I get customers. Works most of the time Jeggings: I already made an outfit for one of my mannequins with the jeggings. Combined it w… Read More

Day 3 – Make a plan how to kaizen all the items on your “easy to optimize” list and schedule the actions in your agenda. Beauty products: * make a video * write a blog about specific beauty subjects * write an article about the danger of chemicals and microplastics in beautyproducts Tea * how to make the perfect cup of tea * write a landingspage about a specific … Read More

Day 2 – Divide your list from yesterday into 3 lists: easy to optimize, requires some effort to optimize, difficult to optimize. So, I chose products. It is a bit more difficult to divide products into three categories, because you cannot optimize the products, you cán optimize (or try to optimize) the ways you are trying to sell those products. And I really do not kno… Read More

1. Identify all the tactics/strategies/products/actions/people that produce some results in your business (or in your life) So, it reminds me of what I did last week. So instead of processes, I am going to identify products in the conceptstore that produce ‘some’ results in my business. I would be happier if they produced more results. a. Beauty products b. Tea c. Shoe… Read More

Day 5 – Make a plan how to multiply all the items on your “difficult to double down” list and schedule the actions in your agenda – Build a community. I think building a community takes a lot of time and you have to have something to offer. So you can build a community when you are (more) well-known. So it will be a challenge, but a nice one. – Make interesting … Read More

Day 4 – Make a plan how to multiply all the items on your “requires some effort to double down” list and schedule the actions in your agenda 1.Organize small events. Before Corona I regularly organized small events in the shop. Since the world is ‘open’ again I have not organized a single event. So I am going to look into organizing a X-mas event with all kinds of s… Read More

Day 3 – Make a plan how to multiply all the items on your “easy to double down” list and schedule the actions in your agenda. 1. Write more newsletters and stick to a regular day, once a week. At the moment it is an ad hoc decision 2. Write more blogs and stick to a regular day, once a week. Regular basis is important for the recognizability 3. Write an article on… Read More

Day 2 – Divide your list from yesterday into 3 lists: easy to double down, requires some effort to double down, difficult to double down 1. Easy to double down – Newsletters – Blogs – Articles – Colourful blouses (succesful products) – Women’s pants (succesful products) – Location – Ads in local newspaper 2. Requires some effort – Organize small events – F… Read More

Day 1 – Make a complete list of all the tactics, strategies, products, actions, people, etc… that produce most of the results in your business. 1. Newsletters 2. Small events 3. Blogs 4. Colourful blouses 5. Women’s pants 6. Fairs 7. Ads in local newspaper 8 .Video 9. Podcast 10. Magazine 11. Private shopping 12. Webshop 13. Concepts 14. Location 15. Fo… Read More

My biggest insights 1. Youtube likes a certain length of video’s -> 5 – 10 minutes 2. Answer a question. If you do not know what questions, ask your customers 3. Make it personal. As if you are talking with a friend 4. Do not edit. When you are talking to a friend and you make a mistake, you cannot and do not edit what you said. It makes you more human and it is mor… Read More

You go girl. You can do it!!!

That is a lot on your plate. Best of luck!

Day 5 – Make a PLAN how to eliminate all the items on your “difficult to eliminate” list So, I did. As I wrote yesterday I reserved a booth at a pre-loved fair for this ánd for next month. Marie Kondo style is perfect for the things that are difficult. Does it sparkle joy? Then you can keep it. If not, get rid of it. It will be difficult but the alternative is a … Read More

Day 4 – Make a PLAN how to eliminate all the items on your “require some effort to eliminate” list and schedule the actions in your agenda. So I did. Our children have their own homes now, but part of their clutter is still in our house. First I refused to do ‘their’ job, but I have cleaned out the closet and I am going to a vintage/pre-loved fair coming Sunday. T… Read More

I do not have any questions about this week’s assignment. I think it is very clear, as it is every week. So I will start by saying how grateful I am, I get to be in the programme. It has brought me a lot. And when I decided to follow the programme and have the opportunity to stay in touch for the coming five years, as you promised beforehand, I was really, really happy. I … Read More

Day 3 – Eliminate all the items on your “easy to eliminate” list I already did. I do not believe in waiting for ‘the right time’. So it took me some time to make a list but it was so easy and it has brought me so much peace to get rid of the things that were on the ‘easy to eliminate’ list. The list was not that long, as I do not believe in pulling a dead horse. I… Read More

Day 2 – Divide your list into 3 lists: easy to eliminate, requires some effort to eliminate, difficult to eliminate. Easy to eliminate 1. FB Ads 2. Sitting in the shop every day ‘waiting’ for customers 3. People that drain you of energy Requires some effort 1. Come up with a replacement for sitting in the shop every day. Found a partial solution 2. Declutter t… Read More

That was exactly what I was thinking. I did this before. The last time/ that assignment I got rid of all the unnecessary stuff, tactics, ads, people (I did that earlier on) that did not work or drained me of any energy. So now I am taking the decluttering literally. 4 months is not so long for Google ads to work. It will take more time. I am really happy with Google ad… Read More

That will be quite an adjustment. All your children out of the house. It’s been a while for us. Although they still have a closet full of stuff in our house. So that is part of my challenge. Declutter. Not only our stuff, but our children’s as well :-).

Day 1 – Make a complete list of all the tactics, strategies, products, actions, people, etc… that don’t produce results in your business I already made that list and I stopped everything that did not produce results. I said goodbye to all the people that drained me of any energy. I stopped with Facebook ads and I stopped with sitting in the shop ‘waiting’ for custo… Read More

Day 5 – Make a list of all the strategies, tactics, products/services and actions that produce SOME results in your business, and they might be worth optimizing So, services that produce somer results are for instance being ‘open’ for some of the time. I used to be ‘open’ all day for 4 days a week. I was not happy with the results and it took away my freedom. So shopp… Read More

Day 4 – Make a list of all the strategies, tactics, products/services and actions that produce MOST of the results in your business 1. Blogging 2. Newsletters 3. Google Ads 4. Personal Service 5. Shopping 3.0 (shopping by appointment at a time convenient for the customer instead of the other way round) 6. Personal phoneservice instead of an answering machine

A lot of people want to know who is Ditha, the namegiver of my conceptstore and also why I do what I do. In this introductory video I introduce myself, my conceptstore (the why and the how) and who is Ditha. I recorded two video’s: In English and in Dutch. I did it in one take, I am clearly not an editor. So it is far from perfect, but it is human… https://youtu.be/Z… Read More

Day 3 – Make a list of all the strategies, tactics, products/services and actions that do NOT produce results in your business 1. Facebook marketing. I put a lot of effort in preparing posts for FB and Insta and if I am lucky 2 or 3 people react. 2. I ran some Facebook ads and I am not satisfied. 3. Black Friday. Last year it did not work at all. It was my first ti… Read More

Word of mouth ‘advertising’ is always the most effective. I can understand that you want to know (and have a grip) as to why it is like busy one time and slow other times. If you know that, you know how and where to take action. However, sometimes, you just need to enjoy the ride and not wonder where and how it all started… (But I understand the feeling).

Day 2 – Make a list the 3-4 most important values for YOU in your business 1. My values are making a difference 2. Showing people the fun in a sustainable living 3. Treating people the way I want to be treated 4. Personal growth ánd growth of the company with integrity

Hi Vered, Thank you so much for your message. My vision is much broader than just selling products. You are right. Now that I am reading it again it is limited to just the products and I do so much more. I am busy launching a magazine and a podcast. Not just talk about it, like in the past, but actually working on it. Furthermore, next year I am going to start organizing … Read More

Thank you very much. I would like that, yes 🙂

Day 1 – Write down in one sentence what is your vision for your business My business vision is to offer products that make it more easy and more fun for people to live a (more) sustainable life.

This week was confronting. Writing down my strengths and those of my company. But also thinking about my weaknesses. What I learned. I know what is not going right. But I can talk about it and I can DO something about it. So, trying to find the solution, forcing myself to move forward and not stay in the moment of what is not going right. My goals? And I am so, so prou… Read More

Day 5 – Put it all together The Who, the why, the second why and the where put together…

Ditha Bonita fun, fair & eco vegan concepstore, sinds 2009

Day 4 – Answer the WHERE question Where do I want to go. Or where do I want to take people? I want to show people how easy, how much fun and how necessary it is to be more conscious about sustainability. It is easier than you think. I will not do so by pointing fingers or by making people feel guilty. I stay positive, because every step is important. Babysteps, one ste… Read More

Day 3 – Answer the second WHY question Why am I qualified? I have been an entrepreneur since 1990, over 32 years now. I have had and still have multiple businesses in different industries. I am not saying I know everything, but I know a lot. I have a lot of experience. Good and bad. I know succes does not come overnight. I have learned a lot and I am still learning. Eve… Read More

Day 2 – Answer the first WHY question I believe it is really important to live more sustainably. But since there is a lot of attention now for sustainability, there is also a lot of greenwashing which makes it for customers more difficult to decide who is genuine and who is not.

Day 1 – Answer the WHO question Who do I want to help? I want to help people that want to live (more) sustainably. I want to make their (sustainable) life more easy.

Day 5 – Make a SHORT list of 3-5 areas you’d like to focus your attention and efforts in the coming 7 weeks 1. Show myself/the business => video This weekend I am going to tape three video’s (I am in a 5 day video challenge and I am behind. I do not know why I keep postponing making video’s. I keep blocking myself. But this weekend it is going to happen!!!) 2. Sho… Read More

Day 4 – Make a list of all the (internal) weaknesses you or your business posses The biggest weakness is having more work than we can handle. The business is growing but whe are understaffed. That is an important weakness and it is hindering me in my growth. We need someone for PR and someone for uploading products online and writing producttexts. A personal weakness i… Read More

Day 5 – create your communication pieces, and launch it So we are in the middle of creating a podcast and ofcourse when we finish it and are ready for the launch we will make it public. We do want listeners obviously. I am very excited about it.

Day 4 – design your communication plan There is a landing page to explain why and how people can make an appointment. For a live appointment, I do not need a communication plan as it happens spontaneously. Depending on the questions a customer has. However, I have an collaboration with a businessfriend about making a podcast. We pick a theme (about a sustainable subjec… Read More

Day 3 Choose the date, time and duration. So that depends on the customer and when he/she is coming and for how long. In our shop, we ask people to make an appointment beforehand. Some people take an hour (or two or even three), some people are in and out. However, maybe it is an idea to make a video of our Q & A. Not live, but answering the (standard) questions we … Read More

Day 2 Come up with as many formats as possible for the Q&A session. In my case IRL works best. When people come to the showroom/shop they want to know about the sustainability of the fabrics and/or manufacturers, the sizes, new/best combinations and colours. Secondly the Q&A on the phone, which is mostly to make an appointment or to ask about sizes and or colours… Read More

Day 1 Come up with as many reasons as possible WHY you should conduct a LIVE (online or offline) Q&A session I conduct a live Q&A session every time I am with a customer. They ask me questions and I answer. So it is always a one-on-one session. In my line of business it is better to have IRL meetings than online. I also answer the telephone and people have lots o… Read More

Day 3 Evaluate your strengths, and how can you use them 1. I am a people person and I can get along with a lot of people. This helps me in dealing with customers 2. I am empathetic which is important because not every person tells you what he/she really means. And if you can ‘read’ and ‘feel’ the body language, it helps you to react to what people mean instead of what t… Read More

Day 2 Evaluate what was good and what should be kept/repeated In the program I am forced to take a good and hard look at my business. It is confronting but necessary. I learn so much, every day and every time I am working on the program and working on my business. It has given me hope, it has given me strength. It has given me pride in what I am doing. It is so easy to n… Read More

Day 1 Evaluate what could be improved It is a very busy period and I need to work IN my business. That is why I am behind. So at the moment I have to do the exercizes in one batch in order to catch up. I do not think there is anything wrong in the program. It is me. I cannot blame anyone else. We are understaffed (or rather I am understaffed) and there is so much work. … Read More

Day 5 I am sorry, I write my blogs in Dutch Blog: Microplastics? Nee, liever niet! Microplastics zijn stukjes plastic met een doorsnede van minder dan vijf millimeter. Hoe ze ontstaan? Soms komt het doordat ze zijn losgeraakt van grotere stukken plastic die in de loop der tijd zijn gefragmenteerd. Bijvoorbeeld bij bandenslijtage. In andere gevallen zijn ze opzettelij… Read More

Day 3 Social media post about sustainability. Based on a question customers have. Hopefully the link works.. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjr8exQMiAx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Day 2 – choose one question from yesterday and come up with an answer template. What is the meaning of the word sustainable? Part 1 – clarifying the question; There are a lot of words to describe the word sustainable or to explain what is the meaning of sustainable. Part 2 – describing the pain points; The most important painpoints for consumers is that we he… Read More

Day 1 – come up with at least 10 questions that answering them will deliver tons of value for them AND demonstrate your expertise 1. What is the meaning of the word sustainable 2. Why is it important to be sustainable as a person? Companies are more polluting. 3. What happens if we don’t do anything 4. If I want to live more sustainably, what is the first step I c… Read More

Day 5 – find a way to make a public commitment – to go for it in the coming 100 days, and finish strong I am going to make (more) video’s and make it a habit to make at least one video a week. And I really want to start with my podcast. So that is my commitment. I know it is important. I am telling myself all the time. Nothing will come out of it if I am making vide… Read More

Day 4 – make a list and share it in the comment: how can we support you I love the idea of a business buddy. Someone you can share your ups and downs with. That was a great idea in this programme. It would be nice to talk to someone that also sells products. What is on my list is to find someone (preferably in Almere) that can help me with the day to day business. Ver… Read More

Day 3 – make a list of any “wall” that might stop you in the coming 100 days from giving your 100% The biggest wall I have to overcome is that I have too much work. As I said before, I love my work but there is only so much you can do on your own. What I cán outsource I have outsourced. But there is much more I would like to outsource. Still looking for a PA e.g. … Read More

Day 2 – what would you want to achieve by the end of the program? At the end of the programme I want to have achieved feeling comfortable making video’s. Taking the time to reflect and celebrate once a week my achievements instead of focusing on what I could have done better. Of course I have to work on improving myself but I need not forget that there is a lot to be … Read More

Day 1 – what did you get out of the program so far? I mostly work(ed) in my business. It is very refreshing (and confronting) to work ON my business. It helps me get focus and it helps me clear my head and see the pain points. I have done many trainingprogrammes, and most of them I did not finish because of the lack of time. Or because it was not what I needed. But wi… Read More

1. List all the reasons: why you must publish an expert book – I get to learn a lot – I can tell other people about what I know and what I have learnt – It helps me to gather my thoughts and write a coherent story – An expert status helps me to get even more credibility – Showing (potential) customers we know what we are talking about – Stand out in a branche where … Read More

Day 5 This week was not the right assignment for me/my business. I tried to think outside the box but since I have a load of products in my webshop, I am not looking for services I can create. However, I did make some plans that I can maybe execute when I have people to help me with the shop. My customers expect me to deliver what they order and to come up with nice new b… Read More

Day 4 – choose one product/service My target audience is anyone that is interested in sustainable products/clothes and wants to make his/her life more sustainable. I want to show the fun of it and how colorful it can be.

Day 3 – choose the top 6 “lessons” you want to start with I do not offer lessons, I offer products… Since I am busy with making a video, I would choose this medium to show my products and tell my stories.

Day 2 – for each one of the topics you brainstormed yesterday come up with 3 steps as explained in the video I took on some new brands. As I said before I sell actual products, so the steps I could take are: writing a blog, making a video and maybe a podcast about the different new products I have or plan to have. Eventually I will build a community but with just me, … Read More

Day 1 – come up with as many “lessons” as you can I am not sure how I am going to do this. I sell actual products. So maybe in a newsletter or a blog I can tell about sustainability since that is what my webshop is about. But lessons goes a bit far. I tell about the why of my products and that they help to make the world a little bit better. So, I am a bit at a loss… Read More

Day 4 I have told myself a million times I should start making video’s. I am so happy with this assignment…

Day 3 1. Choose one question to answer What’s the story behind the name? a. Ditha was the name of my mother. Her name was Edith, Ditha for short. She died much too young. I would have loved to start the business together. It made me realize life is short. Do not wait for ‘the right time’ to fulfil your dreams. b. Ditha Bonita means: beautiful Ditha. Bonita is the Spani… Read More

Day 2 – come up with at least 10 specific frequently asked questions you’d love to answer 1. What is the story behind the name Ditha Bonita 2. Why did you become a (web)shop owner 3. What is you philosophy? 4. Why do you think sustainability is so important? 5. What is Sustainability 6. How come sustainable products are so ‘expensive’? 7. What is the difference … Read More

Day 1. Find your compelling WHY I have a webshop and I sell actual products. Tangible products. Video is the best way to let the world know you exist. 1. The best way to show actual products 2. Show my new collection 3. Show combinations you can make with the different clothes 4. Make a how to video, explaining how to use certain products 5. Great way to tell som… Read More

Day 5. Give each of your books an exciting title AND tagline Alice in webshopland The do’s and donts of running a webshop (Not quite pleased with the title yet, but I seem to be stuck) I will come back later. Still figuring out a nice title for another book I really want to write. But it really is not good enough to share…

I was on my way to Paris with really unstable internet in the car. So sometimes Nisandeh was a freezed image. However, I managed to grab some bits and pieces and some valuable insights. 1. Separate the what and the how. You want to sell the how. 2. Keep on promoting your training or whatever you sell. Even though your customers/clients already signed up. Keep reminding t… Read More

Day 4 – use ANOTHER method I combined everything on day 3. However, interviewing other experts is also a method I would like. Since I have been a journalist all my working life and I am really interested in people and their drive. I like writing human interest stories. I would like to interview all kinds of people. Experts, but also ordinary people to ask them about… Read More

Day 3 – use one method from this article to identify even more topics I really like the method of the fabel. I actually came up with an idea (fairytale) some time ago. Turns out I am not that original, since it alreay is a proven method. I also like the method to write about something you yourself have experienced or a problem/solution you yourself came up with. I th… Read More

Thank you for an inspirational webinar. It got me a lot of courage and inspiration. And also validation. I had quite a few insights, but to name a couple of the most important: 1. In the Netherlands there is always a sale of some sort, so sale is not special anymore. What I always say is that lowering your prices (e.g. because a product does not sell fast enough) is … Read More

Day 2 Come up with topics you’d love to share about 1. Webshops 2. Entrepreneurship 3. Sustainable lifestyle 4. Vegan lifestyle 5. Flex eating 6. Living with diabetes 2 7. How to be and stay positive 8. How to overcome your fear of succeeding 9. How to make life even more fun 10. Love and preserve our planet and what you can do

Week 10 Day 1 why do you want to publish a book on your area of expertise 1. To show my expertise 2. To share my knowledge 3. To leave a legacy 4. To fulfill my dream 5. To finally do it 6. To overcome my fears/perfection 7. To help people 8. To grow my business 9. To take the next step 10. Because I can and I will

Week 10 Day 5. Design a plan to grow your expert position I think the most important thing is doing research, writing blogs/articles and going out in the world. Showing my expertise. I have already started by posting three times a week on SocMed.

Week 10 Day 4 – come up with at least 10 ideas for specific, clear, achievable goals 1. Write a book that is accessible 2. Organize a lecture 3. Get an invitation to give a lecture 4. Rewrite my ebook 5. Doing research 6. Start with writing a synopsis 7. Making a plan how to advertize it all 8. Brainstorm with likeminded people 9. Talk about it with my custom… Read More

Week 10 Day 3 Day 3 – What is your specific commitment for becoming a/the known expert/authority I am going to write an article/blog every two weeks about a sustainable subject. I am also going to put the article/blog on my website, on LinkedIn, SocMed and in my newsletter. So people will know that I know what I am talking about. I am going to organize a lecture/infor… Read More

Week 10 Day 2 Define WHAT do you want to become an expert in I want to become an expert in everything that has to do with sustainability. To be more specific: slow fashion. Secondly: slow food. Within the subject sustainable there are so many different subjects but I want to focus on fashion and food. I also have a travel blog on sustainable travelling. So I guess that… Read More

Week 10 Day 1. Find your compelling WHY 1. There is more and more attention for sustainability these days 2. There is a lot of greenwashing 3. The big shops try positioning themselves as being sustainable 4. It is necessary for people to know about sustainability 5. It is a complex world outthere 6. There are so many researches about sustainable subjects 7. It is a… Read More

Celebrate week 9 What did you get out of this week’s assignment? I think I always woo my customers but it is always nice to be reminded of the obvious. And to read other peoples ideas What did you learn from doing this week’s process? To actively think about the customers. They always on my mind, but it is automatic. To be actively busy with ideas how to woo th… Read More

Week 9 Day 5 – How to express your gratitude to your customers. 1. My customers are always pleasantly surprised when I remenber their last purchases. I do my best to really get to know them. 2. Give them personal treatment/service 3. Give them personal discount 4. Go the extra mile with stylingtips 5. Order something only for them 6. Keep them posted on things t… Read More

Week 9 Day 4. How to positively surprise your customers. A personal card is always a nice surprise, as is a little gift. As I said before, customers are always positively/pleasantly surprised when they enter the office space I have converted into a shop. I keep on learning and becoming more and more of an expert on sustainability so I can keep on answering my customers q… Read More

Week 9 Day 3 – How to be/become more personal. It is easier to be personal when you are the owner ánd the person that helps the customers with their order/shopping. My customers like the fact that they talk to the owner. To be honest, it is always personal. I have a phoneservice to collect the calls but in the end, I am the one that makes the decisions. I am the one t… Read More

Week 9 Day 2 – How you can overdeliver (give them more than they expect). How can you overdeliver when you sell actual products. Apart from the webshops, I also have a bricks and mortar shop. Or showroom. I overdeliver by letting the customers choose when they want to visit my shop. Most of my customers really appreciate the fact that they can come and shop even outsid… Read More

Week 9 Day 1 – How to make things easy/easier for my customers I do a lot to make things easier for my customers. It is different when you sell actual products. But here is what i do. 1. Let the customers shop when they want to shop and not only during opening hours 2. Making it possible to make an appointment at a time that works for my customers, even when it is … Read More

Day 5 – Go over your list from Day 2 This is a good exercise. I will go over the list of companies that I like on social media but have 0 interaction with because I do not take the time. On social media engagement is key. There is a lot of room for improvement in that area for me.

Day 4 – Go over your list from Day 1 (the providers you believe you are already an ideal client for) and refer one or more of them As I said before, when I am happy, I want the world to know. So every time I have a networking event, I will tell people how content I am with. e.g. my bookkeepe… Read More

Day 2 – Make a list of providers you’re happy with but that you probably don’t qualify as their ideal clients When I am happy about someone/a provider I want the world to know. So I write reviews on Google. If I get an invitation to write a review on whatever platform they want me to leav… Read More

Day 1 – come up with a list of providers you believe you’re an ideal client for It is a good question. I think I am an ideal client for all my providers. My problem is more that I am too trusting and too ‘easy’. M… Read More

Day 5 – week 7 create and test your questionnaire (and then test again) I am really happy with my questionnaire. I have a sparringpartner who is brutally honest and it helps a lot. I have a timeline in which I will do things. Apart from the questionnaire I will organize brainstorm meetings with customers. First one in the first week of september. I will reward them … Read More

Day 4. week 7. Decide IF/HOW you’re going to incentivize them I think the most important thing is to let people know that you appriciate them. Most people are really willing to help. Tell them how valuable you find it that they spend their time, helping you. That is worth more than any incentive. Ofcourse people like presents. But in my opinion they like it even more … Read More

Day 3 – WHAT are the questions you’re going to ask them On day1 I already asked the questions exactly as I was going to ask them 1.How did you learn about Ditha Bonita? 2. Why did you come to Ditha Bonita? 3. What do you think is the most important value of Ditha Bonita? 4. What is your most important value and do you think Ditha Bonita is living up to that? 5…. Read More

Day 2 HOW to contact them 1. Send people a survey through my mailing list 2. Make a short enquiry for Facebook 3. Make a short enquiry for Instagram (younger peer group) 4. Invite people for a zoom meeting 5. Organize an event and give them a survey 6. Organize a customer afternoon with tea and cookies and brainstorm 7. Set up a community in Facebook and ask quest… Read More

Day 1 – WHAT do YOU want to know 1.How did you learn about Ditha Bonita? 2. Why did you come to Ditha Bonita? 3. What do you think is the most important value of Ditha Bonita? 4. What is your most important value and do you think Ditha Bonita is living up to that? 5. Do you think it is important for a webshop to be sustainable or do you just look at the collection… Read More

Hi Vered, You are so right. I have to stop thinking of myself as ‘just’ a webshop. Because I am doing that, I constantly worry about money, paying the bills, getting enough orders. However, I think there are a few steps I have to take before I can create a community. It takes a lot of time and at the moment it is just me, myself and I. So I start by doing what I CAN do…. Read More

Hello Nisandeh, I can see your point. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. And yes, I DO see the difference. And I am already working on creating a community. But there are several steps before that. First of all I have to get more out there. Making myself more known, so people will WANT to be a part of my community. It also is important to have more people worki… Read More

Day 5. Let go of your “flop” clients There are no ‘flop’ customers. In a webshop you cannot refuse customers. Though ofcourse there are customers I would rather live without. I cannot get rid of my ‘flop’ customers, but I CAN try to make sure I attract top customers. Customers that get where I am at. So what I am trying to do is focus on getting my message out, my ph… Read More

Hello Vered, Thank you so much for taking the time to write a reply. You are so right about having a clear message. I really do believe I am very clear about my message. However, I also think I can do more about my visibility. There is a lot of competition nowadays, especially since webshops have discovered the ‘sustainability theme’. For me it is not a trend or a hype,… Read More

Day 4. How to ‘transform’ your “everyone else” customers to Ideal customers I really would like to know how to transform my everyone else customers to ideal customers. I know how I would like my ideal customers to be but how to attract them. Nowadays it is really difficult to keep customers loyal. My ideal customers think it is really important to buy sustainable … Read More

Day 3 My commitment for Ideal Customers I would love for all my customers to be ideal customers. By choosing certain products, by writing blogs about what is important to me/my business, by showing my philosophy in the webshop and the way I communicate, the subjects I find important, I try to attract the people/customers that are a perfect fit. But when you sell product… Read More

Day 2 WHO is your ideal client (qualities/behaviors) 1. My ideal customer is interested in a sustainable lifestyle 2. Cares about the environment 3. Thinks it is important workers get paid well 4. Thinks it is important that workers are treated well 5. Thinks it is important that animals ar… Read More

Day 1 – Why do you want to work with ideal clients I sell actual products in my webshop. So I do not have clients, I have customers. There is a difference. I can think of ideal customers but in the end your customers may choose you, based on price or how big your collection is, or what kind o… Read More

1. What did you get out of this week’s assignment? What I get from every week. It is so inspirational to work ON your business. Asking yourself questions. Being ‘forced’ to think about what you are doing and why you are doing it. Thinking about ways to be more fruitful, work more structured, automate things and work more efficiently. It is really rewarding! 2. What i… Read More

Hi Bas, Is it because it is cheap that you are hesitant? Why did they make this offer? Perhaps to gain trust? To have businesses giving them good reviews? You know why it is so cheap? If it is to undermine the competition, then I would be careful. Never heard of a website ánd a webshop for only 125 euro’s though. Are they students? Maybe you can get a reference from ot… Read More

Congrats! That is wonderful news your book is being translated in English. I can relate to what you are saying about being a bit fearful for greatness. The Calimero effect. You are so right, staying small is not going to lead you anywhere. You did a great thing. Writing a book that is now being translated. You can be proud of that indeed. Wishing you even more greatness an… Read More

Day 3. I have a few questions but they are personal. Having to do with the fact that I am selling products and not services. Going over them in my mind. One of these wednesdays I going to ask them. Day 4. It was an important and insightful evening. I am glad I was able to attend Day 5. Celebrating the fact that I am working really smarter. I’ll admit it is a bit more di… Read More

Day 2 – put that plan into action Made a realistic To Do list every day. Normally I just put everything on it that comes to mind. The result is that I get tired just by looking at it. Or I start and get frustrated if I do not manage to do everything on the (long) list. So in doing not more than 3 things every day from the list, I am really happy that I can manage. It … Read More

Day 1 – come up with a plan to block your agenda 10 – 15 minutes every day to plan my actions 1. Get up early and make a to do list in my agenda. If I do not do that, the day will go by and in the evening I will think: ‘Oh no, I have forgotten all about my plans. It is so easy to just start working because there is so much to do. 2. Start on monday and than work my w… Read More

Day 5 – Putting it all together Start the day by looking at the list of things I should stop doing. Being very conscious about what has to change. The plan is to write down the changes I have to make and to keep reminding me of it. And not procrastinating making that list/plan.

Day 4 – What to STOP doing So on day 3 I wrote down what I should be doing less. However, I can write the same list when talking about ‘What to stop doing’. So here we go. 1. Procrastinate 2. Worry 3. Being a perfectionist 4. Use my time not efficiently 5. Going to bed too late 6. Thinking it is never good enough 7. Hold myself back 8. Forgetful 9. Stress … Read More

Day 3 – What to do LESS of 1. Procrastinate 2. Worry 3. Being a perfectionist 4. Use my time not efficiently 5. Going to bed too late 6. Thinking it is never good enough 7. Hold myself back 8. Forgetful 9. Stress 10. Compare myself to others 11. Carbs 12. Sugar 13. Tired 14. Come up with too many ideas

Enjoy and rest. I am on vacation as we speak but decided to do some homework. But I will stop now!

Saying ‘no’. That is a good one! And your thank you is good enough. Never doubt that.

Congratulations on your wedding Max. Such a wonderful time. Take the time to enjoy your newly wed ‘position’ 🙂

Your list could be mine :-). I recognize so many things…

Day 2 – What to do MORE of 1. Blogging 2. Blogging 3. Blogging 4. I know I need to blog more, so why do I not do it more regularly 5. Use Instagram (more often) 6. Write a newsletter more often 7. Take more time off 8. Clear my head more 9. Go on a bike ride (and not feel guilty, because I am not working) 10. More focus 11. Make more money 12. Come up with … Read More

Day 1 – What NEW to add 1. Come up with ideas for a/my book 2. Write a script for my first video 3. Make a few reels (never done that before, would like to know how) 4. Start the day with a meditation 5. Take a day off and enjoy it 6. Make a list of all the things I do not like about my work and see what I can do about that 7. Set a time for myself for a maximum… Read More

Day 5 – putting it all together (week 3) I already automated most of my processes. Before I went on vacation, I automated a pop up with a message and a present for my customers. Free shipping during my vacation. It is a great success. Furthermore, when I get back (still on vacation) I am going to make a plan for automating my social media. I already have some ideas, s… Read More

Day 4 – HOW to automate How I am going to automate? To be honest, the things I cán automate, I have automated. There is a plug-in I would like to have to automatically take care of discounts in the webshop. But otherwise, I think I am covered.

Maybe an out of office reply so you won’t get disturbed when you are busy creating beautiful animated video’s? But I understand what you mean..

WHAT tool will you use 1. Woocommerce takes care of all my orders and the webshop 2. WhatsApp give my customers the chance to approach me easily and in the Business version I can also make an automated messages in case I cannot answer immediately. 3. Canva gives me the opportunity to make postings (a lot of templates to choose from) and via calendar I can plan my post… Read More

Hi Ine, That is quite an impressive list. I found some interesting tools on Tiktok. Have to dive into them. There are so many processes you can automate. I had no idea…

The backups you can do via your internetprovider. I want to automate my posts. But I have to make them first. And that is always the bottleneck. But Facebook Business is a great tool for that. Or Hootsuite. You can also automate the posts on Canva.

Day 2 – WHAT to automate There are a lot of things you can automate. Luckily. 1. Automatic emails when someone subscribes to your newsletter 2. Automatic emails when someone downloads your e-book 3. Automatic emails when someone leaves his cart with products 4. A Pop Up that pops up automatically with a message 5. A discount code with which customers automaticall… Read More

Day 1 – WHY automate 1. It is just me, myself and I. How I wish it would be three persons. Automation is important because it saves me a lot of time 2. Time is precious. You can never get it back. So automating processes, especially repetitive tasks will save you money. Time = money 3. It is much more efficient. There are only 24 hours in a day. I want to use my tim… Read More

Day 5 I put together all the pieces and I am really looking for someone to help me run my webshops. So far no luck but I will keep on trying. I am glad I was able to take care about the phone (I have a great phonecare service). I also have the best bookkeeper, really pleased with her. There is someone helping me with Google ads. So all in all I have delegated a few task… Read More

Day 4 – HOW to delegate 1. I just love my Phoneservice. Whenever come up with something, they will tell me they put it in the system. That is just great. 2. The first thing I want to do is to set up a meeting with the Social Media bureau I have in mind. What I need to do first is to write down what I want to accomplish so I can give them a good briefing. 3. The base… Read More

Day 3 – WHO to delegate to 1. Phoneservice (I already did that. Best investment ever) 2. Marketing: I really want to find a bureau that really understands me and my business. I have had several, but so far the only thing they managed to do is send invoices. So that is still my quest. But I can possibly combine it with number 3: 3. A bureau that combines PR and Socia… Read More

Day 2 WHAT to delegate There is a lot I would love to delegate. But not all things I wánt to delegate I cán delegate. There is a limitation and that is money. A friend of mine said: you should have someone or maybe more than one person to run your webshops so you can do what you are good at, namely finding new sustainable products, buying the right collection. Tha… Read More

I am impressed with your list Paul. You are so right. Of course it is important because Nisandeh said so ;-). Your quote of Richard Branson makes me smile. So you can have that many companies, if you learn how to delegate. That is what is stopping my growth. There is only so much you can do on your own. However, it is really important to find someone or someones you can tr… Read More

You go girl! WOW , I am impressed Ine. So much planning. I totally agree with you. If you have a team, you can motivate them and they can motivate you. Brainstorming together can be so nice and inspiring. And indeed, you can learn so much from eachother. It is always nice to have a fresh perspective.

Monday June 27th Day 1 – Come up with at least 10 ideas WHY to delegate and choose the 2-3 most important ones 1. There is too much work for me, myself and I 2. We all have our expertise. Hiring someone with an expertise that I do not have, or do not care for will clear a little bit of my schedule 3. Delegating some of the workload will give me some breathing spa… Read More

What did you get out of this week’s assignment? It was really confronting to think about my biggest problem(s) this week. I also discovered that to solve that problem I need to solve another one. What idea(s) do you commit to implement (and when)? I put an ad in my newsletter (the first baby step) What did you learn from doing the Idea Generator process? It is g… Read More

What is my biggest struggle in my business these days? Friday 24th 2022 I started out with: I need to be more visible and that is my biggest struggle. I can rationalize it, I know what to do, but that first step. However, when brainstorming I discovered that in order to be more visible I need help. Because an important reason and (true) an excuse not to do my social… Read More

I saw on TikTok a man that just visited random stores once in a while and offered to make a video (ad) for them for free. They would have a video for free and he would have a customer name on his website and ofcourse a video to show on TikTok. Some of his video’s went viral and now people come to him. You could do that and also show the process from brainstorming to drawi… Read More

What is my biggest struggle in my business these days? I want to be more out there but I am a bit of a chicken. I need help because even if I were brave, I am working day and night lately and I am drowning. Thursday 23rd 2022 1. Clear my head. My head is full and I cannot concentrate. There is so much work that I do not know where to begin. So I need to sit down, be… Read More

Just finished my comment and lost everything :-(. So I will give it another try. What is my biggest struggle in my business these days? I have been growing for the last past years, with ups and downs. Thing is that on the one hand I could grow faster because I am not ‘out there’ enough. My PR is really bad. On the other hand I can not grow fully because it is just M… Read More

How do I get more ‘out there’, meaning how to make my business more well known Solutions Tuesday June 21th 2022 1. Find a social media buddy 2. Take the time 3. Set deadlines 4. Manage my time 5. Brainstorm every day 6. Do not be a chicken 7. Come up with a PR Plan 8. One step at a time 9. Share your success 10. Be authentic

How do I get more ‘out there’, meaning how to make my business more well known Solutions Monday June 20th 2022 1. Teaming up with Social Media Enthusiasts 2. Find my voice 3. Write a communication plan 4. Be more consistent 5. Watch succesful bloggers/vloggers 6. Read relevant books 7. Get together with people that are facing the same problems 8. Appoint a… Read More

1. I am an amazing… Entrepreneur and people person 2. In my business, I am a lousy… Marketeer & PR Person. Happy to help and promote others, having difficulty promoting myself 3. I want to become known as THE… Go to person/Conceptstore regarding a sustainable lifestyle 4. The best thing about my business is… The variety in the collection 5. The one thing I defi… Read More

Your top priorities and urgency Find someone or someones to help me run my webshops. It is too much for one person. And timemanagement is another important thing. How to efficiently use my time or divide my time between the businesses.

Hi Guy, Thank you for your message. About the certainty. I do not think I attach too much value to certainty. I know what you mean. But If that were the case I would not have become an entrepreneur. It is more that I would like to have some sort of base. 100% certainty is not possible and would be very boring ;-). But for my piece of mind, it would be nice to have a lit… Read More

Where are you today, and where do you want to be in the future? The past years with corona were not always easy. The upside is that it is challenging to seek and find solutions. And even more fulfilling when you see that it works. It keeps you on your toes. The downside is the uncertainty. One week business is thriving, the other week it is very quiet. I want to be in a… Read More

What is your/your business big vision? I have a eco-vegan conceptstore which will be a little bit different maybe from the most of you. I do not sell services, but I sell actual products. My big vision is to help people in achieving a (more) sustainable lifestyle. I want to show people that caring about our planet is necessary but most of all a fun challenge. I have (almo… Read More

1. Celebrate your victories do not dwell to long on ‘failures’. Especially since failures do not exist. No highs without lows… 2. Allow yourself a free day or a vacation to clear your mind and become motivated again 3. Remember Rome was not built in one day. Do not be too hard on yourself 4. Change of scenery. Sometimes I take my laptop, hop on the train and go to a c… Read More

1. You have several apps that help you keeping focus. Take a 5 minute break every 25 minutes. Do not wander around but do some stretching exercises 2. Set deadlines. If you can keep the deadlines for your clients/customers you should be able to keep them for yourself and your business (I must say to myself practice what you preach) 3. Stick to what you are good at. You t… Read More

Small tasks can look like a mountain if you leave them and keep procrastinating. So you are so right Marcel, chop assignments into pieces. Even if they are small. And if I start with the things I do not particularly like, the things that I do like feel like a bonus. Thanks for the reminder.

Most importantly: get yourself a good bookkeeper/accountant. It saved me a lot of money!

1. You do not have to buy everything new. The furniture in my office and my shop are almost 100% from Marktplaats. People are always telling me they feel comfortable and at home when they come to my shop. And they are very surprised when I tell them everything is second hand. 2. Re-use boxes and wrapping material. I made stickers with the text: They gave me a second chanc… Read More

1. If you ‘sell’ services or fysical products make a landings page for every service or brand you offer. Google likes landings pages and will rank you higher. Furthermore you can show you knowledge or can explain or tell more about the brand or service. 2. Take the time in finding the right pictures for your website. A photo can make you or break you. 3. Change the photo… Read More

1. Use the website https://answerthepublic.com/ . Just type in any topic and you will get lots of information about questions people are asking about this particular topic 2. Ask your customers so send you questions and tell them you will answer their questions in a blog. In the beginning you may have to come up with questions yourself but after a couple of times your cus… Read More

1. Organize (small) events. It’s a great way to know your customers. If you do not want to do it in person, you can host a zoom meeting about a topic you think they might like. 2. Tell them (in your newsletter of Facebook or when sending out an order) how much you appreciate them. Give compliments regularly 3. Let them get to know the real you. Show them there is an act… Read More

1. Try not to think about anything for about 5 or 10 minutes. It will clear you mind and you will be as fresh as ever and ready to take on the world. 2. Take a walk every day before breakfast and contemplate. Or just enjoy the scenery. Even if you have to get up early in the morning, try to plan that walk 3. Form a fun peer group with your most loyal (or even new) custome… Read More