People: working yourself to the bone is a terrible business model.
 
It’s a surefire recipe for burn-out, and your best (and most profitable) ideas rarely arrive when you’re stressed, panicked, exhausted or chained to your desk.
 
And yet, despite my constant preaching, most of my clients & friends refuse to believe that more FUN = more MONEY.
 
“It just seems so counter-intuitive,” they’ll tell me.
 
Or, “I’ve got so much to do! The LAST thing I need is to take time off. Maybe someday .. later.”
 
If you’re a skeptic when it comes to the connection between playtime and prosperity, prepare to have your fears blown away.
 
Because I asked 3 of the smartest, coolest, most productive women I know:
 
Tell me a story about a time when you allowed yourself to have more FUN … and it turned into more MONEY.
 
And this is what they said:
 
Alexandra Franzen. Author. Writer. Workshop leader. AlexandraFranzen.com.
 
“The whole concept for my VELOCITY sessions — one-day copywriting sessions for artists, coaches + entrepreneurs — popped into my head while I was soaking in a bubble bath, listening to Enya.
 
After doing over 250 sessions, I retired the offering to make way for a new business focus. But in their heyday, I was charging $1500 a day — with sessions booked up to a year in advance. Far and away the most profitable 1:1 offering I’ve EVER created. Thanks, lavender bath salts!”

Dyana Valentine. www.dyanavalentine.com

“A couple asked me to marry them–as they said the words, I realized it was a dream of mine to facilitate unions/transitions–in that exact moment. it was ALL fun for me, and never, ever, something I would have articulated in that way before that very moment. It was a THRILLYBLASTYGREAT time, and, oh, yeah, they paid me AND I had several new clients in the subsequent months (I shared this amazing "job" on the interwebs) who referenced seeing me officiate. They said–wow, if someone trusts you to do THAT, then, hey, I can lean in and trust you with THIS. Super interesting. And a joy.”
 
Brooke Castillo. www.thelifecoachschool.com
 
Being an entrepreneur can be very lonely. I do a lot of work on my own, creating, writing and designing courses.
 
I decided that I wanted to have more fun with my business-even if it meant less money.
I wanted to work with my friends instead of alone.
 
I hired four of my best friends to work with me. I decided to pay them very well so we could all just have a blast working together.
 
I believed this would mean less profit for me, because I was paying them. But you can guess what has happened.
 
Not only am I having WAY more fun, but I have doubled my profit. Yes. Doubled.
 
By paying my friends to work with me, we have brought in twice as much business and are serving it better. I am having a blast! Go for the fun!
 

There you have it, sister-friends.
 
PROOF that more FUN really does = more MONEY.
 
Sometimes the money connection is direct (like in Alexandra and Brooke’s story).
 
Other times, it’s more of a round-about route (like Dyana’s story).
 
But there’s no doubt about it:
 
When your mind is flicked onto vacation-mode, that’s when your golden ideas will arrive.
 
I’ll wrap up this pep talk with one final story … about me!
 
The first season of my new webTV series — Life Is Delicious TV — didn’t pop into my head while I was slaving over my laptop. The whole first season — episode topics, segment titles, and even my sponsor pitch kit — all came into focus during a retreat on Maui, last winter.
 
I scampered around in my bikini, sipped green juice and savored gorgeous meals prepared by amazing chefs, sat around a fire pit at night with a bunch of other inspiring ladies, went to Crossfit every morning (those island CrossFitters do NOT mess around) … and got a TON done. While having unreasonable amounts of fun.
 
So, please. Give yourself a fun-break.
 
Once you experience the fun-money connection for yourself, even just once, you’ll never doubt it again. (And you’ll wish you hadn’t waited so damn long to begin.)
 
Susan

PS. Got a personal story about a time when FUN turned into MONEY (or some other reward)? Preach, sister! Share it on Facebook, right over here:www.facebook.com/susan.ohyatt