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Plenty of people are sharing how they overcame a challenge in their personal or professional lives and are helping others.

You might initially think that you have to be a business owner to write a book and impact a lot of people, but the truth is that all it takes is a big dream and small goals along the way to make it happen.

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Not only are they great for when you think your bag isn’t already heavy enough, or when you need to fill empty space on an event table. Not only are books great for stacking up to reach the cookie jar . . .

Books are great for getting people acclimated to the program they just enrolled in, or are about to enroll in. They are great for reaching a bigger audience, impacting more people, and turning skeptics into buyers. They are also great for preventing you from repeating yourself and offering someone a reference so they always know where to find that info.

Let me show you what I mean:

Industry: Coaching, Health & Wellness, Business, Real Estate, Long-Term Design

You may want to write a book for—

• Clients to explain a simple process they need before you work together
• Clients as an overview and reference for your process and work together
• Clients so they understand how to get results faster and can refer back later

For this type of book, the writer wants to eliminate the repetitive part of the process. This is an easy way to help the person you’re working with without you being there. They can get the info to make their relationship with you work smoother because they know the background, what to expect, or how to speed up the process. The key here is that your time is incredibly valuable, so if you can give them a reference to get them up to speed without you being there, you’re golden.

Industry: Business, CEO or Team Leader, MLM (like selling jewelry or wellness products)

You may want to write a book for—

• Your MLM team so they know how to sell, grow, thrive (include the “secret sauce” you use!)
• Your business team so they understand company culture and procedures

This is a situation where you are leading a team either in one sector or the entire business. It’s helpful for people who are new to the company or your team to understand the underpinnings of your group. What are some of the most important parts of working under you that make your group unique when dealing with clients or getting things done in general? If you’re with an MLM, you may have certain recipes, exercises, or methods that you use that get results, and you want to share them with your team. Or in a business, you may have certain guidelines that are just used by your team. The ideas are endless!

The trick here is that, if you don’t write it down, it might get lost. I worked at Dairy Queen during college. When I first learned how to be the opener, I was SHOWN a group of tasks that I needed to accomplish: refill anything that was missed the night before, sweep up cigarette butts from the parking lot, flip the chairs off the tables in the dining room, etc. There was a list for the night staff, too. Sometimes, I would spot things that they haven’t done. They “forgot.” That made me realize, if it’s not written down, then who’s really keeping track of the tasks?

A book would be incredibly helpful for this!

Industry: Really anything!

You may want to write a book for—

• Potential clients so they understand your teachings and want more
• People who aren’t ready to work with you till they reach the next level of their business
• The tire-kickers, those people who want to DIY everything, hanging out at the fringes and grabbing up the free goodies

Let’s just be honest: not everyone is jumping up and down waving money at you. And that’s ok. This is where your book comes in. Offer a book to warm up an audience. It’s a low-end buy—usually $6-$20, with a digital version running $0.99-$15.99. Most people are willing to pay less than $20 for great info from an expert. AND this is something that they can pass on to their friends if they think it’s quality, so it has legs.

Some people will never be willing to buy from you, either because they want to do it all themselves or because they aren’t at that point financially in their business. A book is a great tool for them, too, because it gives just enough information that they probably could do it themselves. BUT, they would have to pay you for a program where you could apply your techniques to their specific situation.

In short, there are loads of reasons to write a book. Look at what you really want to get out of it. What can be made easier, faster, shorter for you? How can you make your relationships more effective? Your time is valuable, get the most out of your time by writing a book!

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For this exercise, we were asked to write “I believe” statements about our work. My work is coaching writers and editing their books so they can create the best version of the book and connect optimally with readers.

I want the coaches, speakers, and business owners that I work with to write clean, clear, crisp books that actually help others, either by inspiration or instruction, so others may grow and live their best lives. But I didn’t realize what the deeper meaning of that was until I did the exercise. What I didn’t understand was why that is so important. The bigger picture.

I started out with some obvious statements: “I believe that writing a book doesn’t have to be hard. I believe that people can share their stories and impact so many people and that sharing your story helps others grow and live a more fulfilled life.”

That felt good. I knew that writing would help people. But then I pressed on: “I also believe that connecting people and sharing their stories is the best way to heal our planet.”

That’s a tall order, right? Heal our planet?

As someone with a biology degree (buried in my closet) and who worked as a scientific writer and editor for 10 years, it’s no surprise that I have a deep love and concern for our planet. But to connect it with my current work? That blew me away.

But here’s the thing. It’s true.

Commoradery bridges gaps between religions, cultures, races, and political opinions. When you meet someone who shares their story and you gasp, “I went through the same thing!” doesn’t it bring you closer?

This beautiful quote from Maya Angelou sums it up: “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” (From her The Complete Collected Poems)

And when you discover that new connection, you’ve gained another sister or brother.

As someone writing a book for your business, you are sitting on gold with this concept.

Your job with that book is to connect, especially if you’re guiding someone down the path that you once took. You want to help someone who needs you because you’ve been there before.

Humans have such a deep need for community and connection. Doesn’t it make sense that something like a book, even a nonfiction one, can bring us together and broaden our understanding of each other.

And that’s when the healing happens.

Caring about each other leads to a greater love. And hopefully, that is reflected in our care for the world around us. When we connect and care, we want others to live and love the same way we can. No matter the differences.

So if you have a book on your heart, write it. Develop that connection. Wrap it in love and send it out to the world. Together, we can connect, heal, and grow to be a better society.

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People are often inspired by others who have overcome challenges or developed a plan of attack to help them out. They want to read stories that will show them that they can get through what they are going through, someone has been there before, and there might be a shortcut.

If that’s something you want to do with your book, then that’s perfect.

But it can be challenging to develop a book for your business and reveal your story. Here are a few ways that you can focus your book so you can reach your audience and inspire them.

1. Lessons learned – Whether good or bad, we all learn something from everything we attempt. This is an opportunity to share your experience and focus on what you would do differently, or even what you would repeat. Do’s and Don’ts can be incredibly powerful, and they will help your reader navigate the choppy waters of the same situation much easier. It’s tough being a pioneer, but someone has to make the maps!
2. How you thrived – If you’ve been through a tough situation, anything from building a business to a major lifestyle change to battling a disease, others love to hear how it was done. Better yet, they love to see that someone survived what they are going through and have somehow thrived. In many cases, this is the story that starts someone’s business or nonprofit. Take Karen Sciulli of Face2Face Healing, for example. I recently interviewed her about her journey for the summer issue of Inspiring Lives Magazine. She was diagnosed with cancer of the salivary gland and had major surgery because of it. The changes to her appearance prompted her to search for a support group, but there were none in the United States. So she started one with her doctor. Today, she runs the nonprofit Face2Face Healing, which is changing lives for the better. Maybe your story led you to where you are today, and that’s the perfect story for your book.
3. Something you developed to get you through – Have a system, a method, or a formula for success in your business. Maybe it’s a 9-step process for becoming more organized at home. Maybe a 3-step method to stop yourself from getting angry at your five-year-old’s seemingly insane antics. Whatever it is, you know it’s pure gold and it has been the key to turning your life or business around. That’s your story, my friend! That’s exactly how you can inspire others to reach the next level, avoid burnout, or just plain feel better. If you can talk about it BRIEFLY in your book, then you’ve got a great tool to inspire.

Notice, that I said the word “briefly” in number 3. For any topic, you have to be cautious that you don’t give away your entire tome of knowledge. Sure, you want people to be inspired. You want them to have a roadmap. But, you also want them to want more of you. So write the book in a way that your reader can apply the knowledge and possibly do it well by themselves, but make sure that it entices them to join your program or work with you one-on-one so you can show them exactly how it can help them the most!

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