The Chalkboard Method^®

Kathleen here. When I launched my business, Braid Creative, I spent months getting my branding, website, social media, and blog posts together. My closest friends and family were super-excited about my new creative endeavor, but once the launch frenzy died down and the dust had settled, I found myself with zero clients. (Insert the sound of crickets chirping here.) I started feeling a little anxiety around this so-called dream job I had created for myself, and wondered if I had made a big mistake.

At the time, I was working with an executive coach, Jay Pryor, who taught me the principle that if you create space for something, the universe will help you fill it. I simply needed to create space, he told me. I felt like I had nothing but space, so I needed a bit of clarification. Jay explained that I needed to get more literal with it. So, I literally created space for clients by drawing ten big empty lines, spaces that I would hopefully fill with names of potential clients, on the chalkboard wall I had painted in my home office. It was truly terrifying to stare at those blanks and face the fact that I had zero clients. I was also instructed to create a mantra to manifest not just any clients, but the kind of clients that would make my job, well, a dream. I drew a magnet with a Cupid’s arrow through it to represent this mantra: “I am attracting dream customers with cash.” I also included space for “unexpected extras” so that I wasn’t constrained by my own self-limiting goals.

A week later all ten spots on the chalkboard were filled. A week after that the unexpected extra spaces were filled with fun projects, too. This might sound a little like the Law of Attraction at work, New Age woo-woo to you, and while I personally believe there was some universal magic at play, what the Chalkboard Method® really did was organize and guide my conscious mind into action. Tracking my progress and filling in those empty spaces was a huge confidence booster and motivated me to keep doing the work to reach my goals.

The Chalkboard Method will hold you accountable for setting big goals and seeing them through. You’re literally making space for what you want.

To this day, years after my first experiment with manifesting clients, I still use the chalkboard to track and attract dream customers, grow my following, and make space for new projects, collaborations, and passive income. Every quarter it feels just as scary as the first time to create all those blank spaces waiting to be filled. Oh, and I still have my good-luck Cupid magnet and continue to create space for those unexpected extras. In fact, before we signed with an agent to write this very book, I had drawn a little book in the corner of my chalkboard! I recommend this method to each and every one of my clients as well as our podcast listeners. Like us, they’re a little doubtful and resistant at first, but we always get excited emails telling us that the Chalkboard Method actually works.

The Chalkboard Method is a big visual reminder that you need to put in the work to make things happen.

THIS GOAL-SETTING SYSTEM:

Helps you break down long-term dreams into short-term goals. It lays out objectives that are realistic and achievable (goodbye, overwhelming paralysis).

Holds you accountable for getting started and doing the work. We all know that getting started is the hardest part. Staring at those blank spaces will light your fire.

Is “in your face” and easy to track. This system doesn’t replace your online systems and processes, but it does make your intentions clear and visible in your physical space so that you stay on target.

Uses a little bit of magic to attract the things you want. Only if you’re into that sort of thing.

But it’s not enough to understand the concept. You have to actually do it.

Every time I share the Chalkboard Method with a creative entrepreneur or small business owner, I encounter skepticism. I get questions like this: “Okay, but how do I actually fill the spaces?” I get it. They want the tactics and actions that will get them the clients, but I always recommend by starting with the chalkboard. It’s not enough to just understand the concept. You have to actually do it.

I recommend redoing your chalkboard quarterly. Take a photo of the past quarter’s list or transfer that information to a document you can refer to later. After a year of tracking your success metrics, you can confidently begin to make predictions, see patterns, and set goals.

It’s also important to mention here that I don’t always fill all the spaces I create for the goals I want to hit. I’ve come to rely on the magic of the chalkboard so much that I trust it happens for a reason. Maybe that lack of client work is giving me an opportunity to take a vacation or rest a little. On a more practical level, not filling space on my chalkboard gives me a kick in the pants to look at what areas of my business could use improvement: I will revisit my branding, the content I’m sharing to generate leads, the work I’m putting into growing my list, and the effort I’m putting into selling my work. You see, empty spots on my chalkboard point out where there are gaps in my plan. It allows me to see exactly where I need to change course when it comes to meeting my goals.

Emily here. When Kathleen first told me about the Chalkboard Method, I was smitten but also hesitant to replace my metric tracking systems (like client spreadsheets and accounting software) with something as “out there” and low-tech as a chalkboard and some mantras. That is until I realized that this handy tool doesn’t replace them but works in partnership with how you currently track your business and personal goals. I like to think of the chalkboard as a place to get clear on what you want (in a really in-your-face way), while your usual tracking tools record what you get. The whole process has helped me turn a goal-setting habit into a full make-shit-happen routine.

HOW IT WORKS

The Chalkboard Method is a visual goal-setting system that literally makes space for what you want—whether that’s new clients, more followers, or accountability to finally finish that book or digital program you’ve been writing. You’re simply making goals and making space for them on your chalkboard, poster-board, or dry-erase board. Listen to Being Boss, episode 79, if you want to hear the backstory and details.

You have to actually make your chalkboard. The number one question I get from creative entrepreneurs who hear about how the Chalkboard Method has worked for me and my friends is this: “Okay, I get it. Make space. But once I do that, how do I actually fill it?” I always ask, “Have you actually made the chalkboard yet?” Please do not discredit the physical act of making the chalkboard.

A NOTE ON CLIENTS: My very first chalkboard was just ten blank spots for ten clients. If you don’t do client work, your chalkboard might track paintings sold, wholesalers/retailers carrying your products, etc. Tailor it to it work for you!

UNEXPECTED EXTRAS: My executive coach Jay Pryor (listen to Episode 48 for more from him) taught me the concept of the Chalkboard Method. He instructed me to leave space for “unexpected extras,” and I love the idea of making space for dreamy opportunities I haven’t even imagined! This space has been filled with extra clients when I’ve overfilled my roster, and even amazing press like my podcast being featured on Forbes.com.

MANTRA/AFFIRMATION: Every chalkboard I’ve had always includes a mantra or affirmation to remind me that my success is not just about filling the blanks but about how I want to feel. One of my very first chalkboard affirmations was “I am attracting dream clients with cash.” But your mantra could just be one word, like “growth” or “abundance.”

There is no wrong way to do the Chalkboard Method, and you don’t even need a chalkboard for it to work. For example, you could make space by pinning notecards to a corkboard or using dry-erase markers on a window. As long as you are making space for your goals in a way that is visible, the Chalkboard Method will work for you. One of the most simple yet innovative Chalkboard Method applications we’ve seen came from a creative entrepreneur who wanted to sell 100 spots to her online course. She outlined 100 polka dots in paint on a canvas. For each course she sold, she would fill in a polka dot with paint. Not only was she visualizing her goal, but she was making a fun piece of art on her office wall! A jewelry maker we know tacked her jewelry prototypes—bracelets, necklaces, and sets of earrings—to a wall with an empty notecard above each piece. As she sold her jewelry, she filled in the customer’s name on the blank notecard above each piece. We also know a graphic designer working at a creative studio whose chalkboard includes space for one nationally recognized ad campaign and five gold medals from her annual industry awards competition. She even made space for a raise or a special bonus! These examples show how you can have fun with making space for your goals.

It’s not enough to just understand the concept. You have to actually do it.