“My husband and I are in the pre-launch phase of our new company, and had contacted Allison to do one of her “Walks with Bliss” meetings. Neither of us was quite sure what to expect. We’re both huge exercise fans, so the prospect of having a meeting outdoors was definitely intriguing. But we had no clue what would actually transpire during our walk, and thought it might be nothing more than a pleasant diversion from being indoors.

Were we in for a HUGE surprise!!!

During a lovely walk around the Oakland estuary, Allison asked us a series of questions that on the surface seemed more like  fun conversation-starters. But Doug and I soon realized that her inquiries were incredibly sharp and probing on a number of levels…and caused us both to think about our company in a way we hadn’t ever done before.

What Allison was able to do, by very skillfully leading the conversation, and listening to our verbal data-diump, was to induce us to think about what’s possible  –  what we REALLY want to see happen with our business  –  completely free of all restriction.

Because Allison makes her clients feel absolutely safe, and that anything mentioned is (and will be) within the realm of the doable, Doug and I felt free to articulate our wildest hopes. While we thought the business should be restricted to one small “compartment,” Allison allowed us to break those bonds and realize that what we actually want is something else entirely: Instead of one tiny, mom & pop operation, our business could actually be franchised internationally one day.

Without Allison’s skillful questioning and gentle nudging of the conversation, we would never have had that clarity. Such an ability to see the “whole enchilada,” needless to say, has been invaluable in reworking our business plan, seeing what challenges lie ahead, and what we need to do to address those challenges.

As a lifelong journalist, I’m used to being the one asking the questions. To observe someone else doing this so insightfully, and with such purpose, was a revelation for me. I am convinced that Allison’s concept of getting her clients outside, into the fresh air, and out of the normal doldrums of the office environment, is pure genius for starters. What she manages to do during the walks is absolutely brilliant.

So impressed were we with this initial get-together that Doug and I maximized the value of our “stroll” by booking a second, extremely insightful meeting with Allison (this time in her office), during which we went from big-picture concepts to specific tactics and strategies for realizing our business objectives.

Since Allison specializes in developing marketing strategies for sole proprietors and small business owners like ourselves, her expertise was invaluable in helping us craft a realistic (and most importantly –   affordable) plan of attack.

Allison has so many fascinating and fun tricks up her sleeve for those of us who are working on slender budgets. I cannot recommend her services highly enough to anyone who is facing the daunting task of figuring out what their company is, and then how to get the word out. Our “Walks with Bliss” was worth triple the cost we paid — and we know the dividends will continue indefinitely.” Marianne Lucchesi & Doug Hamilton, BLASTT