A LOVELY VENTURE, creating your charmed business.

(and it is even more sparkly and shiny than ever!)

Do you dream of creating your own business (even if you’re scared not knowing where to start)?

Are you curious how self-adoration, pleasure and femininity can create a juicy, thriving business?

Does the thought of answering to no one but yourself sound toe-curlingly wonderful?

Are you looking for the inspiration to take your business to the next level?

Have you been sitting on an amazing idea because you have no idea what to do with it?

Do I hear a “YES! YES! YES!?”   I thought so.

I’m thrilled to bring back
A LOVELY VENTURE:
Creating Your Charmed Business.

After owning six (well actually, now seven!) profitable and creative businesses, I’ve learned a thing or ten… And I’d love to share all that hard-earned knowledge with you!

So if you want to open a boutique, design a jewelry line, start a blog or sell lemonade to your neighbors – this class is for you!

A LOVELY VENTURE is an online course for women that are chomping at the bit to learn what it takes to start their own business.

I originally created this as a live, 30-day class, but after it was over, I wanted to make sure that lovely people like you could get access to it any time you wanted. So instead of a 30-day class, it’s a “forever class.”

I promise you this class will be:

• Quick, easy, and to-the-point.
• Beautifully designed for a luxurious learning experience
• Yours to keep and explore at your own pace – you can start whenever you want and the lessons will be up for the lifetime of the internet (which should be a really long time).

(new and sparkly alert!)
A LOVELY VENTURE now comes with a
private Facebook group for you!

We now have, for your pleasure, a private Facebook group full to the brim of like minded women that will be there for networking and support. A place where you can share ideas, get advice and encourage each other.

I will also be posting weekly links, resources, tips and delights. Of course I will also be jumping in with my feedback for you!!

And Resources! Resources! Resources! I will share all of the best of the best that I know.

Here’s a sneak peek into
what is in store for you:

Here’s a little look inside some of the 21 lessons you’ll be getting in A LOVELY VENTURE:

Lessons to strengthen you:

• Be Where You Are (because there is no place else to be!)
• Sparkly Self-Love (if you’re working for yourself, you best be sure you love your boss)
• What To Do When Things Really Suck (And some tips to make sure that never happens!)

Lessons to free you:

• FTH (this title has bad words in it, you’ll just have to wait)
• Go For Failure (wait. What?)
• Desires & Gratitude (and why you won’t get anywhere without them)

Lessons to empower you:

• Pricing (because you’re worth more than $5 an hour)
• Loyalty (finding, wooing and keeping customers)
• HELP! (the people you will need to hire. who, where and why.)
• Copycats (because imitation really (really!) is the most sincere form of flattery)

Lessons to focus you:

• Creating Your Brand (because it’s muy muy importante!)
• Who Is Your Customer? (getting to know you, getting to know all about you)
• $$$ (goals, budgets, fundraising ideas and other sexy topics.)
• Online Marketing (the three must-haves you might not know about)

Lessons to inspire you:

• Interview with Regena Thomashauer of Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts
• Interview with Jennifer Shea of Trophy Cupcakes
• Interview with Christa Meola
• Interview with Davora Lindner of Prairie Underground

(Yes, the interviews are lessons, too – I’ve picked extra-sparkly people for you to listen to and get your emotional and business tanks filled up!)

Bonuses!!

And of course we have some bonuses for you …

• Create an Etsy site that rocks! (standing out amidst a million other handmade goods) taught by special guest Cory Smith of Sweet Petula.
• Opening an online store (ahh, the interweb)
• Opening a retail store (leases, decor, displays, oh my!)
• Social Media (Twitter? Facebook? How to use them ass kickingly!) taught by social media maven Sarah Von.
• Blogging (have fun, make some money, what could be easier…or is it?)
• A little something special from THE Naomi Dunford.
• Beautiful-and-fun worksheets galore that will make your head spin – they are so awesome.

Registration is open!
(And super affordable!)

This “forever” class will now be a super affordable $47, so every woman can have the chance to create their own destiny… No excuses!

After you sign up for the class you will receive the link to join the Facebook page and your login info for the class within 24 hours so you can get your hustle on ASAP.

So … click on the sparkly gold ball and you will be on your way!

 

 Care to hear what students say
about A LOVELY VENTURE?

 A Lovely Venture was a great on-line course that had many benefits: advice from a trusted and successful business owner, a supportive community of like-minded entrepreneurs, though provoking lessons and a common accountability to help maintain the business momentum. It was the jump start forum I needed to regroup and move forward. It was lovely, charming and I’d continue recommending it to friends.

Chris Guillot
Thumbprint Trading Cards

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[PIC] A Lovely Venture was the perfect class at the perfect time. Julie has such a warm, generous, and encouraging spirit, and her enthusiasm is infectious and inspiring. She truly makes you believe that you CAN turn your dream into a reality, and she gives straightforward, step-by-step guidance about how to get there.

By the end of the class, I had been transformed from someone who thought “This is too unrealistic. I could never pull this off. A creative business is something that ‘other people’ can have, but it’s not my destiny.” to someone who thought “Why have I been limiting myself and postponing my goals? I CAN TOTALLY DO THIS!”

Julie’s generosity in sharing her insider tips, personal experiences, and advice alone is worth the price of admission. The fact that she brings in other like-minded generous business owners to share their experiences is just more icing on the Lovely Venture cake! I will definitely take this class again, and I will continue to enthusiastically recommend it to others.

Deb Hardy

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I had never taken an online class and decided to take the plunge and am so happy for doing so. Like so many people out there, I am currently working in a corporate environment and not particularly fond of it.

Your class helped me to realize that when I’m ready, my timing will be perfect and I can make it happen with the tools I have now been given. I’m about halfway through the class now and am finding it so inspirational.

I have thought for many years about starting something up – it’s on my mind constantly, but the fear of failure has kept me from fully focusing on it, telling friends and making plans. I had assumed it was a bit of a pipe dream, but one day after working through a few lessons and worksheets, I found myself emailing a friend and telling them without hesitation that I was in the beginnings of planning an etsy shop.

I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders and for the first time, believed that sooner than later, I would make that happen. Thank you for the thought provoking lessons and your knowledgeable insight. I hope you know how amazing you are for putting this together and helping so many people realize their dreams!

Emily

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Thank you so much for offering this class! I was so excited when I signed up that I convinced 2 of my girlfriends sign up as well.  We’ve all enjoyed talking about our business ideas and how this class is just awesome!

I’ve also joined a Facebook group with some of the ladies from the class and we’re continuing to toss around ideas on a daily basis, which is great!

This class has definitely helped me make some business decisions that I’ve been putting off for a while and also helped me think of new ways to expand my business. Cheers and best of luck to you and your business, Julie!!

Maria Esztergalyos

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A Lovely Venture inspired and motivated the entrepreneur in me. I received guidance and learned of valuable resources while having the opportunity to pick the fabulous Julie Wray’s brain and being encouraged to truly shine in business & life!

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A Lovely Venture is filled with inspiration, resources and motivation to start or improve your business as well as yourself. Julie has made this class super informative, as well as fun. Not to forget the amazing fellow students you’ll meet in class. If you are thinking of signing up know you have only to gain. Thank you Julie for this amazing experience.

G.A.

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There are two important aspects of this class for me. First, it’s inspirational. I don’t have an active business, but I have had ideas and musings for years. So this class is the perfect avenue to explore these ideas and start asking the right questions. Second, the format is great. I work full time some I can go at my own pace. I get ideas, questions and answers from the lessons and from my charm school compatriots. And I had my own questions and answers to share as well!

H.A.

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 A Lovely Venture is a wonderful online class! There are so many great tips and ideas, it’s really helped me formalize what I need to succeed. I now have the confidence to move forward in my venture! Thank You!!

Tami

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I so enjoyed the A Lovely Venture class! I looked forward to each evening where I would log on and receive my little nuggets of goodness for the day. Your class gave me a lot of the information I need to move forward with starting my business confidently and with my own special touches. I highly recommend this class to any woman looking to start her own business!

Carrie Yuan

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 I highly recommend A Lovely Venture from Julie Wray. She has put together a concise set of lessons to focus a student’s energies on the very core issues involved in starting up a modern retail business, including blogging, branding, and web presence.

She has scoured the web for examples that demonstrate what works and what doesn’t in terms of catching people’s attention, emotion and loyalty, and then explains why each example works or doesn’t work.

She has also interviewed an absolutely wonderful set of female entrepreneurs who have tackled the difficult issues of starting their own businesses and succeeding on their own terms. So inspirational!!

Julie Wray has lived it and shows it’s possible. She imparts her lessons-learned with a fun, energetic, and (most importantly for me) optimistic bent, even when she’s discussing mistakes made. I work full time in an unrelated field at the moment and fully appreciated each short and entertaining lesson.

J.C.

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A Lovely Venture was lovely and fun! Besides being oh, so practical and giving real world advice on how to go from “where you are now” to “where you want to be”, it gave all of us a platform to share our experiences and learn how other women have built successful businesses.

For me, the class was not about starting my own business or store. It has been about seeing what I want my life to look like, and how to get there. It is easy to stay the course and maintain the status quo. It takes some reflection and work to get to the next level. Julie’s story was inspiring, and what I have taken from the class is a sense of purpose, encouragement, and a bit of a road map of how to get there.

Debi Fortin

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This class was excellent for helping me focus my cloud of business ideas and figure out what it really is that I want from a business of my own. With humor and detail, Julie takes the class through the steps of getting started–from the fun stuff to the less-fun.

I really appreciated the advice about the value of hiring other people to do the things you can’t/don’t want to do–something that has been a continual roadblock for me (I don’t want to do x,y, or z, so my business isn’t going anywhere). Thanks for getting me pointed in the right direction!

Beth Cavanaugh

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I really enjoyed this course! I got to take a second look at all the basic elements you need to start any kind of venture. I re-evaluated my goals and purpose, filled out some fabulous worksheets and reconnected with the true reason I wanted to start my business.

Even if you feel you have your business plan outlined and ready to go, a second more soulful look will give great results! I recommend this course for beginners and anyone feeling stuck or lost.

Joodie

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This course was extremely enlightening and inspiring for those of us who have even the smallest inkling to invest in our futures but lack the support or drive to push us forward. I was able to break down the overwhelming process of where to begin in my business endeavors through this course.

Between the worksheets, interviews of successful business owners, and links to successful sites and resources, I feel like I have enough information to start on this journey. Thank you, Julie, for keeping the dialogue “real” and not speaking to us as if from a textbook. This course had truly become my bible for success!

Opal A.

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I’ve wanted to start my own business for a few years – ever since I got laid off from a job I hated and found myself running someone else’s business. Turns out, all I’ve ever wanted was to make things and sell them and be my own boss.

After several false starts and grand intentions, I needed just the right kick in the pants to get things moving in a meaningful, proactive way. That came in the form of A Lovely Venture. I’m still working my way through the worksheets (I’ve made several copies of each, and have a set per business idea I have!), but it has been exactly what I have needed to organize my thoughts about what my business will eventually be.

Julie has put together exercises to help get you on the right track, while introducing you to ladies who are already successful with their venture. It’s the perfect first step towards what I hope to be my career – graduate degrees and the economy aside. I’m excited – instead of daunted – by the next steps, and I can’t wait to attend the next round of this online course!

Ginger B.

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I have taken many great online courses and I have yet to see one as satisfying, inspiring and comprehensive as “A Lovely Venture”. Truly, every lesson addressed something i was wondering about. For anyone desiring to live your dream, this is an elegant place to start.

Dara Mckinley

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The overlying theme for the last month has been “you can do it!” and “you’re ideas are awesome!” and I appreciated hearing that you not only started successful businesses but have had the opportunity to fail at a couple things as well. Your course speaks the truth about what to really expect when we want to start our own business and because of that I’d recommend your class to anyone interested in starting a small/indie business.

L.A.

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Before starting A Lovely Venture, I had this great event planning business idea, but absolutely no idea where to start and what resources were out there for new businesses. This class was exactly what I needed to get things going and the ideas flowing. I learned so much in this course and I’m so glad that I was a part of it. I’ve gone back several times and re-read the daily lessons, which I’m sure I’ll continue to do in the future as well. Julie really gives you a ton of information and different links to sites you would never know about otherwise. My business is still in the early stages, but this course is for anyone – no matter if you are just beginning, in the middle stages, or need some ideas to ‘refresh’ an existing business. Thanks again!

- Anne Biddle

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Olivine’s Lovely Venture class was a great class to begin gathering my thoughts and get them pointed in the right direction for planning my future business. Julie gathered some excellent sources for info and interviews. She made sure to stress believing in yourself and in your idea and keeping it true to you – which I don’t think enough people do.

- Angie Jernejcic

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I have found the course to be really good to get me motivated, I really looked forward every morning to having the next lesson ready to go. The diversity of the media also helped – reading stuff all the time and not being able to interact to get others opinions can make things seem quite lonely and dull sometimes, so I really valued the different teaching styles and having others in the group to bounce off.

Stef D