Off work? Time to #Werk!

It's a long day weekend in honor of the Presidents Day and for you that can mean a few things:

A: Some heavier than usual Sunday night drinking (a full Monday of recovery right?)
B: Your couch is calling you and a warm blanket & Scandal marathon is the only viable option
C: #Werk

Yep, I my friend am suggesting that you use this day OFF of work to turn ON your girl boss status and get to work in some meaningful planning for the business you are growing.

Sometimes we just don't know where to start or we feel stuck at one stubborn place in the planning process.

I'm a huge believer in the idea that small steps matter and even though they may seem menial they still are part of your progression towards development!

So here I'm excited to provide you with a few questions to work through to kick start you entrepreneurial juices and allow you to get a little bit of #werk done today.

• Take a few moments to think BIG. Write down what your IDEAL business will look like! What type of people will you be serving? What will you office look like? What will the feel of your facility be? Get a real tangible feel of what you're going for. You literally cannot grow towards a goal that you do not have! 

• Have you created a landing page for contacts. Even though you may not have a fully developed concept or business plan one thing you do have is vision and you need to open yourself up to potential connections who can help you build that. A landing page can be an actual web page or simply get an email address. Gmail is free and simple my friend....make that happen! 

• Are you a list maker? Yea me too! Give yourself a much needed brain dump and throw all of those to-do's in your head down on a piece of paper. From 'make a website' to 'find a mentor'. Lay it all out and have it in front of you to work through over the next few months. 

• Call a friend....easy right? Call a friend and tell her your idea and where you want to head with it. Get vulnerable with someone you trust and spill to them your dream business. Not only will vocally speaking your plans give our heart a little burst of excitement about it all but it will also give you a point of accountability for making it happen! 

There you go! Get to #werk. Don't let this prime opportunity to go by without feeding your dream and building your vision.

Cheers to a day off full of meaningful work and time on the couch!

Promote Yo' Self! Self Definition In The Mean Time

"......and what is it that you do?"

Those words are thrown in our face often. Whether it be during a cocktail party with friends or in a casual meeting at a bar. We humans often define ourselves by our work. When we meet someone, we often take a shot at summing each other up based on the accomplished level of occupation or the ways they've decided to make a living

As entrepreneurs we can often get tongue-tied and fumbled when asked what is it that we do. We as creatives know that we eat, sleep and breathe our passions. It's what we work on during ther early morning and late at night. It's what we chat about with friends and the people who love us. Its what we'd much rather be talking about at any given point in a conversation. Am I right?!

But for some reason when we are asked what we do we revert back to the office job we hold or the part time gig we dread so much. We fail to define ourselves to others as who we actually are - the passionate, creative, hard working, women we've come to be.

As you develop your brand one step in actualizing that end goal is this: BE THAT WOMAN NOW! Don't wait until you have a website or business cards or your first client to be her. Because all those things are only by-products of what you already have flowing inside of you.

Lead with your passion project when introducing yourself and give the people who are getting to know you a glimpse at the REAL you. Not only does this reaffirm that dream and goal in your own mind and heart but it also opens you up for access to other people who may be seeking your services or product.

I can give a million examples of when I decided to lead my introduction with the fact that I "own a childcare placement agency" instead of mentioning my full time office job. When people heard that they said "Oh! Im looking for a nanny or I know someone who could really use your agency to find care" With those opportunities I built my agency until I was able to quit my full time job.

So, promote yo' self! And if making those business cards or creating a "coming soon" website makes you feel a little more official; more power to you, girl. Do it! But know that your passion is "what you do" and until you start living that thing out you're holding back on giving the world what its been waiting on from the entrepreneurial genius that you are!

I got a challenge for you: If you don't already have one make a signature for your personal email with your title pertaining to the business you're building. It can go something like this:

Rachel Cargle
Founder and Creative Director
The One That Got Away, LLC 

Super simple but a strong nod to the business owning maven that you are! Cheers to being the boss!

Bacon Cheddar Scones: I know, too good to be true!

Good morning! And what a good morning it is here in my kitchen. Today I took a shot at a savory scone recipe that is sure to make your mouth water and your morning commute a little more delicious!

I adapted the recipe from the Food Networks version. The thing I love is that this simple recipe calls only for ingredients that you are very likely to already have in your pantry and fridge. Te basics of flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and half and half. Of course you'll need your cheese and bacon and a few green onions to give a kick of flavor!

Take a peek at the recipe below and give it a try! When I made the scones they had a beautiful crunch on the outside and the savory deliciousness of the cheddar and bacon within. I paired this little bit of heaven with a cup of caramel coffee and couldn't be happier! Enjoy my friends, as bacon always make things a bit better than they were before.

Ingredients
4 slices bacon, chopped
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream, plus 2 tablespoons

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a medium skillet, cook the bacon, stirring, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter, cheese, green onions, and pepper with a pastry blender or fork, and work just until it starts to form lumps and come together. Add the bacon. Add 1 cup of the cream and work just until it becomes a sticky dough, being careful not to overwork.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat until it comes together. Form into 2 large circles, about 7 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick and cut each into 8 wedges with a sharp knife. Transfer to baking sheet with a spatula, leaving 1/2-inch space between each wedge. Paint the tops of the wedges lightly with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and bake until golden brown, 22 to 23 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheet. Serve warm.

Building Your Tribe: Seeking and maintaining your divine and deep connections

Valentines Day is coming up! Although I'm really excited to love on my beau this Love Day I'm really even more excited to spread some love to my friends!

Lately I've been putting alot of energy and focus into building my tribe. I have learned the significance of having a true and trusted group of women in your life to love you though this journey. As we dive into building a life we love we also have to consider the people who are going to be in it for the long haul. Im at a point where I recognize the tremendous weight that a good tribe holds.

These are the people who are never more than a phone call, coffee date or snail mailed letter away. That are the sweet souls who are there to celebrate and encourage you, listen to and learn with you, speak to your heart when you need it and who know the power of simply being present.

They don't all necessarily have to be your closest or best friend but you know that their good vibes are there to share and that you can depend on them to pour goodness into you often.

But, I love loving on my tribe as well! I love being all of those things to the women in my life who inspire, encourage and empower me.

As I build my tribe and actively seek out strong and loving women to connect with I am recognizing the real effort that must go into maintaining these sweet and divine connections. It can be through a brunch date, a coffee call, a mailboxed love letter or a shared article that you know would interest them. Letting each and every friend know that you're thinking of them, that you care and that you're so incredibly thankful for them being a part of your tribe is important and a true labor of love.

I hope that you've built a tribe! My wish for you is that you have been able to surround yourself with the love, support and empowerment that you deserve. Also, make sure that you're a meaningful part of someone else's tribe. Be aware of what friends are going through and take steps to celebrate, support and encourage them as they need it!

My ontological coach recently shared these words with my coaching group that I think really capture what is is to have a tribe:

I’m going to stand for you to truly become yourself.  I’m going to relate to you as if you’re the powerful woman you’re already becoming, already.  I’m going to hold you accountable for showing up in ways that are consistent with this deeper truth of who you are, and support you in taking risks in what you’re feeling called to.  I’m totally going to stand with you and for you. *author unknown*

I absolutely love love love this and I'm so excited for the divine and deep connections that women are making all over the world.

Are you currently working on building your tribe? What ways do you maintain the love in your group of friends? I would love to hear all about it! Comment below and share this post with a member of your tribe!

You Go Girl!: Tips on starting your entrepreneurial pursuit

Im so excited that you're looking into starting your own business. It's a courageous and ridiculously bad ass decision that will lead to a ton of self fulfillment and new discovery into exactly what you're made of!. But in pursuit of all the benefits of taking charge of how you make your living there is often a lot of doubt and fear that keep extremely capable women like you from taking the plunge.

Im here to give you some direction in finding AWESOME entrepreneurial and #girlboss support and inspiration that will keep you motivated and encouraged as you move forward in building your empire: 

1. Micromentor.com -- This website is a GOD SEND! It is a free website in which new entrepreneurs can be matched with professionals in all types of industries. I would suggest that you sign up and look for a mentor who is experienced in your industry or interest field who would be excited to help as you get started. And dont be shy. These people are eager to help people who are JUST STARTING OUT so be vulnerable in your questions with them. 

2. Marie Forleo --  I love this woman, her professional insight and business expertise is fun and relevant. I watch her videos on youtube and follower her on FB and IG and she always gives leads to other exceptional business women to follow. You can check her out at marieforleo.com or marietv.com

3. Meetup.com -- Take a peek at this website and create an account to stay connected. Here you will find tons of local groups who meet up on occasion for a variety of reasons, you should be able to find a group for female business women, or even more specific to your industry and niche. It's a really great source to find networking opportunities and to meet new friends in your field. 

4. Wix.com - My suggestion for one of the first things you do as an entreprenuer is to get started on a website. Having an online presence is crucial and even if you're not up and running yet, you can still have at least a one pager that with the basics of your purpose or outline of your services and have contact information there for people who might want to connect with you. I have created two websites with their ultra simple templates (www.thesittercircle.com & www.ignitehackathon.com) and I have had no complaints. They even give you the resources for your own domain for when you're ready and costs as low as $6 a month to keep up. 

5. Instagram is such an incredible source for inspiration (Have you checked out my feed @1thatgotawayy?) One thing I love to do on occasion is search some of my favorite hashtags that I know other successful and passionate women are using to share their own encouragement, tips and inspiration in business. Here are some of my go-to's when I need a little entrepreneurial motivation: #girlboss #inspireme #smallbusiness #entreprenueress #sherunsit #bosslady #

If you have any specific entrepreneurial questions shoot me an email as I'd love to chat! Sending you all my love and good vibes as you begin this journey of gaining beautiful freedom in your creativity, financial pursuits, daily schedule, ultimate happiness a lasting legacy.